Seventh-Grader Calls for City Ban on Plastic Bags

After learning many plastic shopping bags potentially end up in storm drains and as litter, a Murrieta seventh-grader is urging a city ban.

Though admittedly nervous, Rebekah Bearse, a student at River Springs Charter School stated her cause during a public comment portion of Tuesday's Murrieta City Council meeting.

"Plastic bags are a waste and that is all there is to it. This is a waste that can be prevented and stopped," said Rebekah, urging Murrieta to impose a ban.

She called attention to the possible toxins the citizens of Murrieta and the region's wildlife are being exposed to as a side effect, stating she first became concerned about the issue when she studied it as part of her school's curriculum.

Though council members were not able to directly address her platform because it was not on the meeting's agenda, Mayor Rick Gibbs later expressed he appreciated her candor.

"Young Ms. Bearse was a very articulate young lady and filled with admirable passion," Gibbs wrote in an email to Patch. "I am sure her parents are justifiably proud of her achievements."

While Gibbs agreed the subject was "certainly in the headlines around California"—cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles enforce bans on plastic bags—the mayor questioned the efficacy "one state in one country" has on the global environment.

"Would such a gesture result in truly helping the environment or would it just be another palliative that ends up punishing our business community?" Gibbs wrote. "There is enough data available that would seem to indicate that the results you seek are achieved by how you interpret your sample set. Government should be about common sense solutions. Far-reaching actions without the empirical data to back up your hypothesis does not seem prudent."

In order for Rebekah's proposal to result in a council vote, a council member would need to request it.

Gibbs said he saw no immediate reason to move forward with the initiative Rebekah proposed, but acknowledged he was "just one vote on council."

Rebekah came across as reluctant to back down on the cause.

"I would like to see Murrieta become the first city in the Inland Empire to ban plastic bags," she said.