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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and Environmental Management Department (EMD) recommending the Board:
1) Provide conceptual approval, pursuant to Board Policy A-3, to amend Ordinance 5211, to regulate tobacco retailers, authorizing staff to return to the Board with a presentation that outlines recommendations to address tobacco retailer transferability and possibly other minor revisions; and
2) Provide direction to staff on any other amendments to Ordinance 5211 or Ordinance 5210, adding tobacco retailer land use regulations, and the Tobacco Retail License Program and implementation, if necessary.
FUNDING: N/A
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
In 2022, a parent's concern about youth exposure to tobacco prompted the Board to engage with the Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP). At the same time, the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey revealed a youth vaping epidemic, with over 2.5 million middle and high school students using e-cigarettes and 46% of high school users vaping almost daily. In response, a town hall meeting was held on November 2, 2022, at Herbert Green Middle School, where community concerns about the location of tobacco retailers near youth-centered areas were raised. These discussions helped shape the development of Ordinance 5210 and Ordinance 5211, as part of a broader strategy to reduce youth access to tobacco products.
Prior to the passage of Ordinance 5211, HHSA conducted outreach to help guide the development of the Ordinance. On October 22, 2024, the Board approved Ordinance 5210, to add tobacco retailer land use regulations, and on November 5, 2024, the Board approved Ordinance 5211, establishing a Tobacco Retail License (TRL) Ordinance to regulate tobacco retailers throughout the unincorporated areas of El Dorado County. The ordinances took effect 30 days after passage, with enforcement set to begin on April 1, 2025 (Legistar file 24-1371).
Since this ordinance's passage, HHSA staff have performed outreach to community tobac...
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