California AB-1884 (Public Resources Code section 42270) and AB-1276 make Santa Clara County a straws-on-request jurisdiction. Restaurants countywide cannot auto-distribute single-use plastic straws; disability requests must be accommodated without burden under state and federal law.
California AB-1884 (Public Resources Code section 42270) bars full-service dine-in restaurants from automatically providing single-use plastic straws to customers anywhere in Santa Clara County. AB-1276 (PRC section 42273) extends straws-on-request rules to quick-service outlets, coffee shops, food trucks, and beverage retailers across all fifteen cities and unincorporated areas. Self-service straw caddies are barred. Staff may provide a straw only if a customer affirmatively asks, and compostable or paper alternatives are encouraged under SB-54 packaging rules. Persons with disabilities must be accommodated upon request without burden under the ADA and Unruh Act. The Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health enforces locally with warnings, then administrative fines.
Auto-distributing plastic straws violates PRC sections 42270 and 42273, triggering written warnings, then administrative fines starting around twenty-five dollars per violation up to several hundred dollars for repeat offenders.
See how Palo Alto's plastic straw rules rules stack up against other locations.
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