Pleasanton Council Bans Vape Sales, Restricts Tobacco Sales

PLEASANTON, CA — The Pleasanton City Council voted last week to ban the retail sale of vapes and flavored tobacco products, joining neighboring cities of Dublin and Livermore in upping the ante to curb a recent uptick of youth tobacco use.

The ordinance, which goes into effect Jan. 1, also bans new tobacco retailers from opening within 1,000 feet of a school, park or other public recreation facility. They will be subject to a tobacco retail license renewed each year.

The ordinance passed on a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Karla Brown dissenting.

Brown said she wanted the ordinance to go further by making existing tobacco retailers within 1,000 feet of schools and parks and rec facilities also subject to the tobacco retail license. That way, licenses could be revoked if retailers violate regulations or if the store changes hands, she said.

The ordinance also seeks 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.

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.