Title
Receive an oral presentation on the Monterey County Tobacco Retail License ordinance for the unincorporated areas of the County of Monterey.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors Health and Human Services Committee:
Receive an oral presentation on the Monterey County Tobacco Retail License ordinance for the unincorporated areas of the County of Monterey.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
During fiscal year 2014-2015, the Monterey County Tobacco Retail License (TRL) program approved 85 tobacco retail licenses. Licenses are paid through the standard Environmental Health new permit and renewal process.
The Monterey County Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau conducted routine inspections of tobacco retailers as part of the TRL program. Environmental Health inspections ensure that tobacco retailers are appropriately posting the County TRL and California Board of Equalization licenses, are posting the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act required age-of-sale warning sign, are not selling single cigarettes, do not have self-service tobacco displays and are placing tobacco products behind the sales counter.
Environmental Health conducted 110 inspections at 79 tobacco retailers in Monterey County. Some facilities were inspected more than once. Among 79 tobacco retailers surveyed, nine (9) could not provide a valid County permit. Further investigation revealed that each of these nine (9) retailers did in fact have a license, but had not posted the permit. In some instances, the fee had been paid but the permit had not yet been received by the retailer. In other cases, the retailer had requested that the permit be delivered to a corporate office located out of state.
Environmental Health also identified six (6) tobacco retailers that did not have a valid California Board of Equalization (BOE) license to sell tobacco. Environmental Health provided each of these retailers the BOE phone number to re...
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