Land-use committee narrows San Francisco straw ban to protect access for people with disabilities

San Francisco’s Land Use & Transportation Committee on Oct. 29 advanced amendments to an environment‑code ordinance so that food vendors may provide single‑use plastic straws only upon request and with explicit exemptions to protect people with disabilities. Committee members adopted technical edits and agreed to forward the item to the full Board of Supervisors.

The Department of Environment and the mayor’s Office on Disability presented findings from four stakeholder meetings that, staff said, showed many people with disabilities cannot use current paper or compostable straw alternatives and need plastic straws to access beverages. “There aren’t suitable alternatives to plastic straws for accessing beverages for particular people with disabilities who need to use them,” Nicole Bond of the mayor’s Office on Disability told supervisors.

Peter Galata, public relations and policy coordinator for the Department of Environment, said the amendments preserve the ordinance’s core ‘‘upon request’’ approach while adding clarifications: retailers may sell plastic straws and food vendors and retailers may stock and purchase plastic straws to meet requests; distribution must occur at point of sale or behind a counter (not at self‑serve stations); and the ordinance clarifies that nothing in the city rule alters businesses’ obligations under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Supporters at the hearing said outreach and a clear guidance document for businesses are essential to reduce confusion and litigation risk. ‘‘Providing the guidance document in advance will help to mitigate risk around potential lawsuits around access violations,’’ Bond said. Disability‑advocacy speakers, including Jessica Lehman of Senior and Disability Action, called for multilingual outreach and guidance that does not require people to disclose medical or disability information when requesting a straw.

Chair Tang proposed three technical edits — replacing the word ‘‘require’’ with ‘‘allow’’ to avoid suggesting vendors must stock straws, aligning the compostable‑ware certification dates, and clarifying self‑service dispenser language — and Supervisor Jane Kim moved the amendments into the ordinance. The committee adopted the amendments and sent the item on to the full Board without objection. Staff said a draft guidance document for businesses is in development and will be circulated for review.

What’s next: The Board of Supervisors will consider the ordinance and the committee‑directed guidance materials at a subsequent hearing.