San Jose Mercury News: Should California become the first state to ban plastic bags? One of the state’s top environmental officials embraced the idea Tuesday, citing the devastating impact on marine animals, which die after ingesting plastic bags or becoming entangled in them. Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman is head of a cabinet-level panel – the California Ocean Protection Council – that is mulling over a list of proposals, including the bag ban, to improve the health of the ocean. While the …