The City of Sacramento’s Code Enforcement division was recently awarded a grant by the California Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program to assist with enforcing tobacco related laws within the city limits.
The $884,021 grant must be distributed over a three‑year period and dedicated to proactive inspections, education, and outreach related to tobacco laws and retailer compliance for tobacco retailers.
Currently, it is illegal to sell flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes, flavored e-cigarettes/vape liquids, and cigars within Sacramento city and county. There are 340 tobacco retailers within city limits and all are required to hold a tobacco retailer license and abide by regulations set by city and state laws.
“The grant benefits the public by promoting compliance with tobacco laws and improving community safety,’ said Code Enforcement Manager Shawn Bartosh. “It allows for additional enforcement to be conducted, related to prohibited flavored tobacco sales and businesses selling tobacco without the required permits.”
Primary use of the grant will fund overtime for targeted code enforcement decoy operations, undercover tobacco purchasing, and investigations into online tobacco sales. These efforts often involve plain‑clothes operations to attempt purchasing prohibited tobacco products. This tactic cannot be effectively carried out during routine inspections by officers in code enforcement uniform.
Since the implementation of the undercover tobacco purchasing, 100 establishments have been inspected and 12 of those have been in violation of the flavored tobacco ban.
City Code Enforcement has overseen tobacco enforcement efforts for over a decade, utilizing both proactive and complaint driven inspections. Past enforcement actions have included administrative penalties, suspensions, revocation of licenses, and joint operations with the Sacramento Police Department.
“These types of proactive efforts over the years have led to reduced rates of illegal sales and increased overall retailer compliance,” Bartosh said. “The hope is for this to continue with the assistance of the grant to enhance awareness and enforcement efforts.”
The strategic decoy operations enforcement has begun and will continue throughout the year. For more information about tobacco retailing in the city, please visit the Tobacco Retailer License web page.