Campaign to End Menthol Cigarette Sales in San Leandro



Thank you to everyone who came out in solidarity with neighbors, students, public health advocates, and local leaders across San Leandro to push for ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and similar products in our community!
 
We had thirty-one (31) speakers who shared public comment at the Rules Committee in support of ending the sale of menthol cigarettes, including representation from: 16 residents, 7 San Leandro youth (one of whom got permission to step out of class to give public comment!), 5 San Leandro-based community-based organizations, and 11 public health/coalition partners.
 
Because of your voices, the City Council’s Rules Committee unanimously voted to direct city staff to move forward with drafting a Tobacco Retail License (TRL) ordinance update that ends the sale of menthol cigarettes with a January 2023 implementation date. This draft is expected to return directly to the full City Council in January 2022. At that January meeting, discussion can happen regarding an expedited timeline as well as other TRL components that the Rules Committee had been considering (tobacco-free pharmacies, ending the sale of tobacco near youth-sensitive areas, establishing minimum price for tobacco products, etc.).
 
If you would like to send an email or make a call to Rules Committee members thanking them for their support in ending the sale of menthol cigarettes to protect the health of all San Leandro residents, you can reach them here (individual emails are best):
 
Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter, 510-577-3355, pcutter@sanleandro.org
Vice Mayor Victor Aguilar, Jr., 510-577-0603, vaguilar@sanleandro.org
Councilmember Fred Simon, 510-577-0604, fsimon@sanleandro.org      
 
In the meantime, stay engaged! Contact the Alameda Tobacco Control Coalition at https://tobaccofreealamedacounty.org/contact/ to learn about upcoming opportunities to meet with Councilmembers and continue engaging community residents in advance of the January meeting. Also, please circulate the Coalition’s Menthol Cigarette Statement of Concern among San Leandro residents. It’s available at https://tinyurl.com/SLMentholFree. Over 500 residents have signed so far!

Take note and take care.

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