SANTA CRUZ  (AP) — Makers of banned plastic shopping bags are fighting back, and have filed a lawsuit in Santa Cruz asking a judge to toss out the city's bag prohibition.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition filed its suit last month in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

Stephen Joseph, a lawyer for the coalition that includes Los Angeles-area Crown Poly and Command Packaging, argues that prohibiting plastic bags increases paper and re-usable bag production, which causes negative environmental impacts.

The bag makers want the ban to be reviewed under California's environmental laws, and the fee charged to customers raised from 10-to-25 cents.

Santa Cruz City Attorney John Barisone said the city is looking at some of Joseph's requested revisions to the ordinance for a possible settlement.

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