Action needed to exempt restaurants from San Francisco bag ordinance

On Nov. 14, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance that bans all retailers, including restaurants, from distributing plastic bags. The ordinance also mandates retailers to charge a fee for paper and reusable bags. Retailers are only permitted to distribute compostable plastic, recyclable paper or reusable bags. Additionally, retailers must only distribute paper carryout bags made from 100-percent recycled content that includes a minimum of 40-percent post-consumer recycled fiber. The ordinance will go to the full board of supervisors for vote at 2 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Legislative Chambers - Room 250, San Francisco.

The ordinance as it applies to restaurants is shortsighted and is not a responsible approach to the city and county’s environmental goals, as it places public health and safety at risk. A key component of the ordinance is for individuals to use reusable bags. This is a major concern for restaurants as the use of reusable bags by restaurant patrons increases the risk for cross-contamination and foodborne illness. People use reusable bags for various purposes, not just to transport food. They use reusable bags to carry dirty clothes, shoes and any number of personal items. Most people don’t wash their reusable bags and many people keep their bags in their cars for convenience, an environment that can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Other jurisdictions have recognized that reusable bags pose a food safety risk in a prepared food environment and have exempted restaurants from their respective ordinances. Furthermore, restaurants should have the freedom of choice to determine what type of bag works best to maintain the integrity of their product.

What can you do?

Call, e-mail or fax ALL of the supervisors today to request an exemption for restaurants in this ordinance.

CALL: Calling the supervisors at their office lets them know that this is an important issue to you and you want to make sure that your message is heard. Below are the phone numbers for each supervisor.

LETTERS: E-mail or fax letters of opposition today to ALL supervisors. 

Below is a list of all supervisors along with their phone, fax and e-mail address.

  1. Supervisor Eric Mar, author, District 1: 415.554.7410 – Voice 415.554.7415– Fax Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
  2. Supervisor Mark Farrell, District 2: 415.554.7752 – Voice 415.554.7843– Fax Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org
  3. Supervisor David Chiu, Board President, District 3: 415.554.7450 – Voice 415.554.7454– Fax David.Chiu@sfgov.org
  4. Supervisor Carmen Chu, District 4: 415.554.7460 – Voice 415.554.7432– Fax Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org
  5. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, District 5: 415.554.7630 – Voice 415.554.7634– Fax Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org
  6. Supervisor Jane Kim, District 6: 415.554.7970 – Voice 415.554.7974– Fax Jane.Kim@sfgov.org
  7. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, District 7: 415.554.6516 – Voice 415.554.6546– Fax Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org
  8. Supervisor Scott Wiener, District 8: 415.554.6968 – Voice 415.554.6909– Fax Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org
  9. Supervisor David Campos, District 9: 415.554.5144 – Voice 415.554.6255– Fax David.Campos@sfgov.org
  10. Supervisor Malia Cohen, District 10: 415.554.7670 – Voice 415.554.7674– Fax Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org
  11. Supervisor John Avalos, District 11: 415.554.6975 – Voice 415.554.6979– Fax John.Avalos@sfgov.org

For more information or talking points, contact Johnnise Foster Downs, director of local government affairs at 916.431.2720 or JDowns@calrest.org.