El Cerrito Praised For Anti-Smoking Efforts

EL CERRITO, CA — Several cities and a county in the San Francisco Bay Area have improved their policies toward reducing the use of tobacco, according to a report released today by the American Lung Association.

The report titled "State of Tobacco Control 2017 - California Local Grades" gives grades to communities based on their tobacco control policies, which aim to reduce tobacco use.

Saratoga joined seven other Bay Area jurisdictions with an A grade. The other jurisdictions are Santa Clara County, El Cerrito, Daly City, Berkeley, Dublin and Union City.

Six other jurisdictions were identified as "on the rise" because they improved their grades by passing or revising smoke-free outdoor area policies and smoke-free housing policies.

Those jurisdictions are Brisbane, East Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Orinda, San Bruno, and Sunnyvale.

"We applaud the efforts of local leaders throughout the Bay Area who continue to push for improved tobacco policies in their communities," Mark Di Giorgio, chair of the American Lung Association in California, said
in a statement.

While some Bay Area cities have strong policies, unincorporated Solano County and all but one of its cities received F grades for their lack of tobacco control policies.

An official with Solano County couldn't immediately be reached for comment on the report.

Vallejo was the only Solano County community to receive a grade other than F, and it received a D in the report.

Also, none of the most populous Bay Area cities, including Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose received A grades.

Grades are awarded in three categories, including smoke-free outdoor air areas, smoke-free housing and reducing sales of tobacco products.

Bonus points are awarded to communities that have policies to address emerging issues such as menthol and flavored tobacco products. The report says those products lure teens and residents of lower income
communities into the habit of using tobacco.

One Bay Area community, Santa Clara County, is leading the nation in addressing emerging issues as it became the first city in the nation to restrict the sale of menthol and other flavored tobacco products to adults 21 and older.

"Tobacco-related illnesses remain the single most preventable cause of disease and death in California and strong policies reduce smoking rates and exposure to secondhand smoke and protect our children from a
lifetime of addiction," Di Giorgio said.

American Lung Association officials said California communities have room to improve, including by creating policies to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke in multi-unit housing, where some people with asthma and
lung cancer live.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock