TO: Planning Commissioners
FROM: Beth Lindauer, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
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CONSIDERATION OF THE RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL OF A TOBACCO RETAILER LICENSING ORDINANCE
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RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
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Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt Resolution No. 2026-19 recommending that the City Council approve the proposed Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance.
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SUMMARY:
While the State licenses tobacco retailers, enforcement of retail sales within individual communities is often limited. As a result, many California jurisdictions have adopted local Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL) programs that complement, not replace, the State licensing system by providing local agencies with administrative tools to educate retailers, monitor compliance, and enforce existing tobacco laws. The proposed ordinance does not prohibit the lawful sale of tobacco products to adults, create new restrictions on legal purchasers, or establish new criminal offenses. Rather, it provides a local administrative framework to support compliance with existing State and federal laws designed to prevent the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors.
DISCUSSION:
Since the last Commission meeting, staff has continued evaluating the program and has completed several significant actions that were not available during the Commission's initial discussion.
Most notably, the City has:
* Submitted an application for the California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program;
* Developed a collaborative enforcement strategy with the Red Bluff Police Department;
* Obtained formal letters of support from the Tehama County District Attorney's Office;
* Obtained letters of support from the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District and Red Bluff Union Elementary School District;
* Coordinated proposed enforcement activities among local agencies; and
* Further evaluated the City's ability to implement the program using outside grant funding rather than...
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