Pleasanton Council Considers Vape Ban, Tobacco Restrictions

PLEASANTON, CA — The Pleasanton City Council will consider this month adopting a ban on the retail sale of vapes and flavored tobacco products.

The ordinance seeks to deter youth vaping by banning new tobacco retailers from opening within 1,000 feet of a school, park or other public recreation facility.

If passed, Pleasanton would soon join other government bodies in trying to make low-priced tobacco products less accessible to youth by setting pricing and packing requirements on tobacco products. Much like cigarettes must be sold in 20 packs, the ordinance would require cigars be sold in packages of five and cigarillos be sold in packages of 20.

A third of underage decoys working for the state were able to purchase little cigars or wraps without being asked for ID, according to the ordinance. Four in five Alameda County youth using tobacco products first tried a flavored tobacco product, according to the county Department of Public Health's Tobacco Control Program.

"It is in the community's public health and safety interest to reduce underage use of tobacco products," the ordinance says.

Read the ordinance here.

The council will also considering adopting a second ordinance that gives teeth to aforementioned proposal by establishing a tobacco retailer permit.

The permit would cost $550 and renewal would cost $450, according to the ordinance. Compliance visits would take place at least twice annually and retailers that break the rules would be subject to fines or other disciplinary actions, including suspension and removal.

Read the ordinance here.

Both ordinances would go into effect Jan. 1.

Tune into the meeting 7 p.m. August 18 on the city's YouTube channel.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the day that this ordinance was to be considered for adoption.