New California law to limit plastic straws in restaurants

People who want straws with their drinks at California restaurants will have to ask for them under a new state law signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The law makes California the first state to bar full-service restaurants from automatically giving out singleuse plastic straws. It takes effect next year.

The law doesn’t ban plastic straws outright, as some cities have.

Restaurants that don’t comply will get two warnings before being fined up to $300 a year. The law will apply only to full-service restaurants, not fast food establishments.