PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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VOL. 40, N0. 2
Plastic bag ban in effect
Jan. 9, 2026
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Participants dash into the Pacific Ocean during the inaugural First Day Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day at South Cardiff State Beach. Photo by Tanya Perez
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State law closes loophole in 2014 bill By Leo Place
ENCINITAS — As customers headed into Seaside Market for some Saturday morning shopping this past weekend, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear could be seen handing out reusable fabric shopping bags to constituents to raise awareness about a new statewide bill. Senate Bill 1053, authored by Blakespear, bans the distribution of plastic bags at checkout at grocery stores, convenience stores, food marts, liquor stores, and retailers with pharmacies. As of Jan. 1, these stores can only offer recycled paper bags at checkout for 10 cents apiece, or customers can bring in their own reusable bags. The bill is intended to curb plastic waste in the state by closing a loophole in the original plastic bag ban, which was passed in 2014 and later approved by voters in 2016 under Proposition 67. While the 2014 law banned single-use plastic bags, it still permitted stores to offer thicker plastic bags that were considered recyclable and reusable. However, the state lacked the necessary infrastructure to recycle these bags, and most people ended up throwing them away. Data indicate that plastic bag waste in the state has increased since the 2014 law took effect. California generated 157,395 tons of plastic bag waste in the year the ban was passed, and by 2021, that figure had grown to more than 231,000 tons — an increase of about 47%. “It went to the voters, and they TURN TO PLASTIC BAGS ON 24
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Four victims in fatal crashes ID’d By City News Service
REGION — Authorities have publicly identified four people who lost their lives in recent weeks to San Diego-area traffic accidents. The most recent of the roadway fatalities took place about 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 22, when 27-year-old Cameron Sirkow of Glendora crashed a vehicle into a parked tractor-trailer in the 3900 block of South El Camino Real in Encinitas, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. Sirkow died at the scene, the agency reported. At about 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 19, Trent Newberry, 34, was riding a motorcycle that crashed
into a pickup truck on state Route 76 near Camino Del Rey in Bonsall, according to the medical examiner. An ambulance crew took Newberry to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, where he was pronounced dead. A day earlier, another deadly motorcycle accident took place in the northern reaches of the San Diego area. Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, John McCarthy of San Diego crashed his two-wheeler into a pickup truck and a center-divider barrier near Aliso Creek Rest Area, the county agency reported. McCarthy, 57, died at the site of the wreck.
At about 2 p.m. on Dec. 6, a sedan struck 39-year-old Susana Gascon as she was walking across the street in the 800 block of North Mollison Avenue in her hometown of El Cajon, according to the medical examiner. Paramedics took Gascon to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, where she died 22 days later.
Five displaced after garage fire in Oceanside residence
Five people were displaced from their home after a fire broke out in the residence’s garage in Oceanside, authorities reported
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this week. Crews responded around 11 p.m. Tuesday to reports of a residential fire in the 240 block of Festival Drive, according to the Oceanside Fire Department. Officials with the department said they located one adult in a rear bedroom. The person was removed from the house and evaluated by paramedics at the scene. The fire was contained to the garage but heavy smoke resonated throughout the home, officials reported. Five adult residents were displaced by the blaze, and were assisted by the American Red Cross.
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