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HomeMy WebLinkAbout99-05 Prohibiting Self-Service Tobacco ProductsORDINANCE NO. 99- 5 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, ADDING CHAPTER 1 Y2 TO TITLE 11 OF THE COSTA MESA MUNICIPAL CODE PROHIBITING SELF-SERVICE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The City Council of the City of Costa Mesa, California, does hereby find and declare as follows: A. WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the smoking of tobacco, or any other weed or plant, is a positive danger to health and a material annoyance, inconvenience, discomfort and a health hazard to those who are present in confined spaces, and that smoking rates are on the increase among the youth population of Orange County; and B. WHEREAS, the California Legislature has made it unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to knowingly sell, give, or in any way furnish to another person under the age of 18 years any tobacco, cigarette or any other preparation of tobacco; and C. WHEREAS, in order to promote public health and safety, the declared purposes of this ordinance .are to reduce the unsupervised availability of tobacco products to minors; and D. WHEREAS, the retail display of tobacco products, when located to allow access without the assistance of retailers' employees ("self-service display"), may in certain circumstances make tobacco products more accessible to minors; and E. WHEREAS, the prohibition of self-service displays and vending machine sales of tobacco products will restrict access to tobacco products by minors and provide an additional safeguard against theft of tobacco products; and F. WHEREAS, the prohibition of self-service displays and vending machine sales of tobacco products will serve to protect the public health, safety and general welfare. Section 2. Chapter 1 1/2 of Title 11 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: "CHAPTER 1-1/2. TOBACCO SALES REGULATIONS TO PROTECT MINORS. "Sec. 11-17. Definitions. (a) "Business" means any sole proprietorship, joint venture, corporation or other business entity formed for profit making purposes, including retail establishments where goods or services are sold. (c) "Cigar Lounge" means a private enclosed area in or attached to a retail or wholesale tobacco shop that is dedicated to the use of tobacco products including, but not limited to, cigars and pipes. (d) "City" shall mean the City of Costa Mesa. (e) "Employee" means any person who is employed by any employer in consideration for direct or indirect wages or profit, and any person who volunteers his or her services for a nonprofit entity. 2 4 of age. (f) "Minor" means any individual who is under eighteen (18) years (g) "Person" shall mean any individual, partnership, cooperative association, private corporation, personal representative, receiver, trustee, assignee, or any other legal entity. (h) "Restricted Tobacco Sales Area" shall mean any area of a retail business that satisfies the following requirements: (1) The area is set aside for the exclusive display and sale of tobacco products and related accessories. (2) There is a single, restricted entrance to and exit from the area which is located next to a sales counter and allows passage of no more than two people at a time. (3) There is an adult sales clerk who is continually present at the sales counter while the business is open to the public. (4) The sales clerk monitors access into the restricted area and denies entrance to minors, unless accompanied by a parent or a responsible adult. (5) There is a sign prominently posted at the entrance to the restricted area that says, in substance: "RESTRICTED TOBACCO SALES AREA. NO MINORS ALLOWED, unless accompanied by a parent or a responsible adult." The sign 3 shall meet standards established by the City Manager, or his designee. (i) "Self-service display" means the open display of products to which the public has access without the intervention of a store employee including, but not limited to, a rack, shelf, vending machine or counter -top display. (j) "Tobacco product" means any manufactured substance made from the tobacco plant including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco and smokeless tobacco, or products prepared from tobacco and designed for smoking, chewing or other manner of ingestion. (k) "Tobacco Shop" means a business establishment whose main purpose is the sale of tobacco products including, but not limited to, cigars, pipe tobacco, and smoking accessories. (1) "Vending machine" means any electronic or mechanical device or appliance the operation of which depends upon the insertion of money, whether in coin or paper currency or other things representative of value, which dispenses or releases a product. (m) "Vendor -assisted sale" means a purchase requiring a direct, face-to-face exchange between the retailer and the customer, in which the vendor has access to the tobacco product, and assists the customer by supplying the product. The customer does not take possession of the product until it is purchased. CI Sec. 11-18 Requirement of vendor -assisted sales. It shall be unlawful for any person, business or tobacco retailer to sell, permit to be sold, or offer for sale any tobacco product by means of a self-service display, including a cigarette vending machine, or by any means other than vendor - assisted sales. This prohibition shall not apply to Tobacco Shops, Cigar Lounges, or Restricted Tobacco Sales Areas. Section 11-19. Non -Retaliation. (a) No person or employer shall discharge, refuse to hire or in any manner retaliate against any employee or applicant for employment because such employee or applicant agrees to abide by the provisions of this chapter. (b) No person shall intimidate or threaten any reprisal or effect any reprisal for the purpose of retaliating against another person because such other person seeks to attain compliance with provisions of this chapter." Section 3. Publication. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in full force and effect thirty (30) days from and after its passage and, before the expiration of fifteen (15) days after its passage, shall be published once in the NEWPORT BEACH -COSTA MESA PILOT, a newspaper of general circulation printed and published in the City of Costa Mesa, or, in the alternative, the City Clerk may cause to be published a summary of this Ordinance and a certified copy of the text of this Ordinance shall be posted in the office of the City Clerk five (5) days prior to the date of adoption of this Ordinance, and within fifteen (15) days after adoption, the City Clerk shall cause to be published the aforementioned summary and shall post in the office of the City Clerk 5 a certified copy of this Ordinance together with the names of the members of the City Council voting for and against the same. PASSED AND ADOPTED this /7 -rd day of li7iQ y 1999. ATTEST: Deputy Ci Clerk City of CoMa Mesa A Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: I ". i /,., 711) tl_ " rl Vi STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss CITY OF COSTA MESA ) I, MARY T. ELLIOTT, Deputy City Clerk and ex -officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa, hereby certify that the above and foregoing Ordinance No. 99-5 was introduced and considered section by section at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the V day of May, 1999, and thereafter passed and adopted as a whole at, a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 17th day of May, 1999, by the following roll call vote: AYES: Cowan, Somers, Dixon NOES: Monahan, Erickson ABSENT: None IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of the City of Costa Mesa this 18`' day of May, 1999. 7 , I Deputy Ci Clerk and ex -officio Clerk of the City C ncil of the City of Costa Mesa l � - 7 , I Deputy Ci Clerk and ex -officio Clerk of the City C ncil of the City of Costa Mesa