BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Tobacco retailers in Bakersfield could soon face another legal requirement to operate their businesses. A new city ordinance, one already in force in other areas of Kern County, would prohibit retailers from selling tobacco products without a valid permit.
The push for the ordinance, which passed the Bakersfield City Council by a unanimous vote on Wednesday, was fronted by the Blue Zones Project.
Executive Director for the Bakersfield Blue Zones Project Kiyoshi Tomono says the ordinance isn't intended to create barriers for business owners, but to ensure the laws about selling tobacco to minors are enforced.
"Basically, they have to get a license if they sell tobacco in Kern County, and if you don't violate the law, it's relatively cheap. It's not that expensive," said Tomono. "It is scaled, though, so if you violate the law and sell tobacco products to kids, it becomes more expensive."
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According to Tomono, the annual permit fee can range from $265 up to $790, and the revenue generated by the permit fees will be used to fund decoy operations to make sure retailers are checking IDs.
Bakersfield City Councilmember Eric Arias says the ordinance is a big win for the city.
"This is sending youth in as decoys to places that sell these types of products without providing the proper identification that they need to verify that they are of age to purchase these products," explained Arias.
Arias and Tomono both agree that when these tobacco retail licenses are put in place, the results are shocking.
A recent youth decoy operation conducted by Kern County Public Health showed 47 percent of tobacco retailers located near a school in Bakersfield were caught selling to minors.
Raji Brar, Chief Operating Officer for Countryside Corporation, which oversees several Kern County convenience stores, says most of her stores have already implemented rules like what the new ordinance mandates.
"As business owners, we want to be good business partners with our community, and I think this is a step forward," said Brar. "I think it's great because now it makes everyone aware of the importance of the health and safety of our young folks."
Tomono says when the county was originally trying to enact these tobacco licenses, something local advocates have been pushing for nearly 15 years, the results they found solidified their belief in the utility of this ordinance.
"In 2016, when Kern County Public Health kind of looked at this for the county, where their jurisdiction was where they already have these laws in place, they found about 12 percent of tobacco retailers were selling to kids," said Tomono. "In 2018, it dropped to 4 percent."
Arias says as long as retailers follow the rules and refuse to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, there is no cause for concern, but adds that the city will be partnering with Kern County Public Health to carry on with the decoy operation as soon as possible.
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