Site search
sponsored by
News
Sports
Starting Jan. 31, every business in Grass Valley selling cigarettes must pay a yearly $100 fee, funding efforts to stub out under-age smoking.
Before Grass Valley City Council members approved the ordinance Tuesday night, Councilman Dan Miller had just two questions for the young man in the audience at the council meeting.
“Are you under 18? Is it hard to get cigarettes?”
The answers were yes and no, respectively, although the boy was quick to assure the council members he doesn't smoke.
While it's against the law to sell tobacco to anyone younger than 18 in California, there's little enforcement, say law enforcement officials and anti-smoking advocates.
With about 35 retailers in town affected, the new fee on all tobacco products is expected to generate about $3,500 yearly to fund efforts to discourage teenage smoking through yearly inspections.
From the perspective of Nevada County Health Education Coordinator Felicia Sobonya, the move couldn't come soon enough.
The national smoking rate went up in 2009 for the first time in several years, she told the council members. And since 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking as teenagers, those numbers could continue to rise.
Sobonya attended the council meeting with two young women who had posed as decoys during use surveys performed by the Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Youth and Adult Coalition.
In 2007, underage decoys tried to buy tobacco from 28 stores in Grass Valley city limits; two stores sold them tobacco products. And according to one of the teens, clerks in at least two other stores tried to convince her she was, in fact, old enough to buy tobacco.
The ordinance would prohibit a license from being issued for a period of one year following the revocation of a license and sets a minimum of one compliance check a year that will be modeled after the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board program. More detailed information was added to the ordinance to clarify penalties and suspension time frames.
Before Grass Valley City Council members approved the ordinance Tuesday night, Councilman Dan Miller had just two questions for the young man in the audience at the council meeting.
“Are you under 18? Is it hard to get cigarettes?”
The answers were yes and no, respectively, although the boy was quick to assure the council members he doesn't smoke.
While it's against the law to sell tobacco to anyone younger than 18 in California, there's little enforcement, say law enforcement officials and anti-smoking advocates.
With about 35 retailers in town affected, the new fee on all tobacco products is expected to generate about $3,500 yearly to fund efforts to discourage teenage smoking through yearly inspections.
From the perspective of Nevada County Health Education Coordinator Felicia Sobonya, the move couldn't come soon enough.
The national smoking rate went up in 2009 for the first time in several years, she told the council members. And since 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking as teenagers, those numbers could continue to rise.
Sobonya attended the council meeting with two young women who had posed as decoys during use surveys performed by the Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Youth and Adult Coalition.
In 2007, underage decoys tried to buy tobacco from 28 stores in Grass Valley city limits; two stores sold them tobacco products. And according to one of the teens, clerks in at least two other stores tried to convince her she was, in fact, old enough to buy tobacco.
The ordinance would prohibit a license from being issued for a period of one year following the revocation of a license and sets a minimum of one compliance check a year that will be modeled after the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board program. More detailed information was added to the ordinance to clarify penalties and suspension time frames.
Sidewalk ordinance passed
In other council news, a new sidewalk ordinance was unanimously approved Tuesday.The ordinance is meant to amend the municipal code to clarify that property owners are responsible for maintaining and repairing sidewalks in front of their property.
It also states property owners are liable for any injury or damages resulting from dangerous conditions. An inspection program will evaluate potential hazards and either suggest or require repairs.
Councilman Chauncey Poston expressed some concerns with the ordinance.
“We are shifting liability onto an unwitting public, and that grates on me a bit,” Poston said. “It's not fair across the board. We've got neighborhoods in various positions of decline and renewal ... This is going to put a lot of pressure on those who can afford this the least.”
Poston and Councilwoman Yolanda Cookson agreed to serve on a subcommittee to explore options for providing financial assistance for any repairs that might need to be made.
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4229.
