Sonora, CA — Whether to put in place a new system aiming to better regulate tobacco sales will be discussed by the Sonora City Council on Monday evening.
The city leaders will vote on moving forward with a Tobacco Retail License program (and potentially putting new fees on businesses that sell tobacco within the city limits). The goal would be to ensure compliance with tobacco laws and to reduce underage usage.
It would require licenses to be acquired annually, and revenue raised would help cover the costs of enforcement of tobacco rules.
Two different ideas to fund the program are being looked at. Either placing a $160-$240 annual fee for the license to help cover the costs of enforcement, with penalties then being $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, and $250 for any additional offenses. Or, an alternative is just to put in place much stiffer penalties for violations.
Different options will be discussed at the meeting, and there will be a vote on whether to move forward and create the program.
The meeting starts at 5 pm at Sonora City Hall.
