CA-26: Who Can Out Nanny State on Grocery Bags Tony Strickland or Julia Brownley?

As a growing number of California cities and counties have adopted local ordinances banning the distribution of single-use plastic bags in the name of reducing litter and ocean pollution, Sen. Tony Strickland is concerned about a different threat at the grocery checkout line: reusable cloth bags.

Strickland, R-Moorpark, believes those bags are a threat to public health because of the possibility of cross-contamination of bacteria from produce and that from meats and poultry. He wants to see a label printed on every reusable bag sold in California that reads, “WARNING: Reusable bags must be cleaned and disinfected between uses to prevent food cross contamination. Failure to do so can cause serious illness resulting from food-borne pathogens.”

Strickland proposes that label in Senate Bill 1106, which would also require grocers to conspicuously display the same warning near where reusable bags are sold.

“The goal here is public safety,” he said. “Consumers have a right to know that if they don’t wash them they put their health at risk.”

Sorry Tony.

But, your contention that there is a health hazard here is just plain stupid.

I know you are doing this to punish those communities like Los Angeles who ban plastic bags. But, the rest of California doesn’t need MORE NANNY STATE to tell us when to clean out our reusable bags.

Now, I have problems with banning plastic bags.

However, more government regulation to cure government overreach is NOT a solution.

You should know better.

Drop the bill.

Find another contrasting issue upon which to run for Congress and beat Julia Brownley.