Full Notification

Petaluma Police Department Receives Tobacco Grant Program Award:

We are pleased to share that we have been awarded the Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program, which will allow our department to better protect our youth community members from the dangers of tobacco consumption.

The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (Proposition 56) funding helps promote a healthier California by reducing illegal retail sales and marketing of cigarettes and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to minors. The Tobacco Grant Program, administered by the Office of the Attorney General, makes these annual funds available to local law enforcement agencies throughout California. Since its inception in 2017, the Tobacco Grant Program has distributed approximately $184.7 million in grant funding through a competitive process.

Grant funds are able to be used in a variety of ways including:

• Enforcing state tobacco laws and local ordinances, including the statewide flavor ban (and similar local ordinances) through retailer inspections and enforcement operations (e.g. minor decoy, shoulder tap, undercover buys in stores and online)
• Consumer protection enforcement (investigations and prosecution)
• Compliance checks and inspections of tobacco retailers and online services that deliver tobacco products
• Task force coordination among local agencies
• Retailer education and diversion for retailers violating state tobacco laws
• Education for enforcement officers regarding state tobacco laws and local ordinances
   

Currently, our plans are to use the funds to run two decoy operations per year for three years involving sales to minors. This will be in conjunction with Code enforcement with the Community Development Department (CDD).

The City of Petaluma has a robust Tobacco Retail ordinance and we invite any business establishment to review the Tobacco Retail License (TRL) or inquire with questions so we can work to ensure that all establishment are in compliance. 

We are grateful to have been chosen as recipients and look forward to offering an additional level of protection to juveniles in our community.