Martinez adopts amended carryout-bag ordinance to align with new state law

The Martinez City Council voted Feb. 4 to waive further reading and adopt Ordinance No. 1481, amending municipal code chapter 8.23 to retitle it "Carryout and Precheckout Bags" and to align the city's bag rules with recent state law.

Carrie Rivers, management analyst in the community and economic development department, told council the changes remove thick reusable plastic bags from the allowed carryout bags list and align local code with state laws identified in the staff report (SB 1046 and SB 1053). Rivers said the ordinance exempts product bags used to segregate food or merchandise to prevent contamination and reiterated that the 10-to-25-cent charge for recycled paper carryout bags applies to retail establishments and state-regulated stores, not to public eating establishments.

Vice Mayor Satinder Mahle (as recorded during roll call and discussion) asked for clarification about whether the carryout fee could exceed 25 cents; Rivers confirmed the code sets a maximum of 25 cents and that the fee structure is existing code for retail operations.

Councilmembers said they were comfortable moving forward with the ordinance while reserving the right to revisit it if unintended consequences arise. After discussion, a motion to adopt the ordinance passed by unanimous voice vote.

Outcome: Ordinance No. 1481 adopted to amend chapter 8.23; city staff will publish the corrected ordinance text and implement the changes.

Why it matters: The changes reduce a category of plastic bags that staff says were not being reused and increase consistency between Martinez's local code and state law, while retaining exemptions for product/food-safety uses.

Documentation: staff presentation and the recorded motion are in the meeting record.