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Environmentalists are renewing a push for a countywide ban on plastic shopping bags, an issue county officials have studied more than 18 months but one that may finally be headed toward a vote.

Environment California, a statewide nonprofit, is pushing the ban along with other local advocacy groups as a way to protect the ocean, saying plastic bags often end up in the sea, polluting the water and being mistaken for food by marine life. They also hope enough cities pass bans that a statewide law becomes inevitable.

"To sea turtles, plastic bags look like jellyfish, one of their tasty and delectable treats," said Stephen Michael, a director with Environment California, during a small press conference Wednesday at Natural Bridges State Beach.

The county was among the first to ban polystyrene takeout containers, and has been studying a plastic bag ban since 2009.

But a final vote has been delayed while a lawsuit over Manhattan Beach bag ban played out. That case was decided last week, and environmentalists are now eager to push forward.

"So many people we talk to say, 'Santa Cruz has already passed a ban, right?' But it hasn't. It's very, very odd that a lot of places have passed it before Santa Cruz, being such a progressive town," said Lauren Gilligan, a program coordinator with Save Our Shores.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Stone would like a vote as soon as possible, but said it may wait until after a September meeting of a multijurisdictional waste management meeting in September. That meeting could lead to local cities such as Santa Cruz and Capitola considering a ban as well.

"It's one thing for the county to do it, but it's better if other jurisdictions do the same thing," said Stone, who wants the ban to withstand - or avert - potential litigation.

Santa Cruz County's proposed law bans plastic carryout bags, but not the use of plastic for produce bags or pre-packaged items. It also implements a 10-cent per bag fee in the first year after the law passes and a 25-cent per bag fee after that, and requires paper bags to be made from 40 percent recycled material.

The industry-supported Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, which has sued over bag bans, disputes the harm caused by plastic carryout bags, particularly when compared to paper bags. They say claims about an aquatic gyre of discarded diapers, empty milk jugs and plastic grocery bags is inaccurate. [According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Pacific Garbage Patch consists of small pieces of debris, often plastics, circulating in the sea, and is largely invisible to the naked eye].