A temporary moratorium on smoke shops in Stanton will continue for over 10 more months as officials study how to enforce a recent state law to ban flavored tobacco products.
Stanton City Council members voted unanimously at their Feb. 27 meeting to extend the moratorium they initially put in place in January from 45 days to over 10 months.
Tobacco retailers are defined as shops with tobacco products making up at least 50% of their regular stock.
The moratorium would prevent any new tobacco retail business operations from being established and any current business from expanding or altering their shops.
The exceptions to the moratorium are for any ordinary repair or maintenance of existing tobacco business.
City staff requested the temporary ban on tobacco shops so they could have more time to develop new laws to address the problem.
“This will be of benefit because it’ll give us a chance to study it,” Mayor David Shawver said during the Feb. 27 meeting.
Council members had little debate at the meetings and did not respond to a request for comment.
The original moratorium went into effect after a city inspection found that five out of the 11 tobacco shops were illegally selling flavored vapes, a violation of the city’s municipal code and a recent state law.
The California state law prohibits any tobacco shop or vending machine from selling and possessing flavored tobacco products.
Each violation of the ban is a $250 fine or a license suspension or revocation.
Other cities have been cracking down on the issue of smoking.
Santa Monica recently adopted an ordinance banning smoking in specific public areas, according to the staff report.
It comes as the CDC reports that over 12% of high school students and nearly 7% of middle school students use tobacco products, with nearly 90% of these students using flavored tobacco products.
According to the staff report city officials find the sale of tobacco products to kids an immediate danger to public health and safety.
One resident expressed their support for extending the temporary bans at the Feb. 27 meeting.
“It takes only days or weeks for youth to become addicted to nicotine, which none of us want for Stanton kids,” resident Hana Hanna said.
Shawver brought up the question regarding new business applications.
“If somebody wanted to come in and build let’s say a cigar lounge, does that prohibit that person from doing that?” Shawver asked.
City Attorney HongDao Nguyen said the city will continue to accept applications for businesses including tobacco retailers, but no new permits or licenses will be issued while the moratorium is in effect.
Many residents approved of the initial moratorium at the Jan. 23 meeting.
“I want to express my gratitude for your dedication and attention to the matters concerning our community, particularly in voting on item 10B,” resident Maria Salgado said during the Jan. 23 meeting.
The extended moratorium went into effect on Feb. 27.
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