Inglewood Municipal Code Art. 8 Regulations for Businesses Engaged in the Sale of Tobacco Products

It is the intent of the City Council, in enacting this Article, to encourage responsible tobacco retailing and to discourage violations of tobacco-related laws, especially those which prohibit or discourage the sale or distribution of tobacco and nicotine products to minors.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

For the purpose of this Code Sections 8-109 through 8-117, the following terms shall have the meanings defined in this Section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

"Arms length transaction"

means a sale in good faith and for valuable consideration, that reflects the fair market value in the open market, between two informed and willing parties, neither of which is under any compulsion to participate in the transaction. A sale between relatives, partners, corporate or other entities which have some or all of the same directors and/or principles, or any sale for which a significant purpose is avoiding the effect of the violations of this Article is not an arm's length transaction.

"Person"

means any natural person, partnership, cooperative association, corporation, personal representative, receiver, trustee, assignee, or any other legal entity.

"Proprietor"

means a person with an ownership or managerial interest in a tobacco retail establishment. An ownership interest shall be deemed to exist when a person has a ten percent or greater interest in the stock, assets, or income of a business other than the sole interest of security for debt. A managerial interest shall be deemed to exist when a person can or does have or share ultimate control over the day-to-day operations of a business.

"Self-service display"

means the open display of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia in a manner that is accessible to the general public without the assistance of the retailer or employee of the retailer. A vending machine is a form of self-service display.

"Tobacco paraphernalia"

means cigarette papers or wrappers, pipes, holders of smoking materials of all types, cigarette rolling machines, and any other instrument or paraphernalia designed for the smoking, preparation, storing, ingestion or consumption of tobacco products.

"Tobacco product"

means: (1) any substance containing tobacco leaf, including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, bidis, or any other preparation of tobacco; and (2) any product or formulation of matter containing biologically active amounts of nicotine that is manufactured, sold, offered for sale, or otherwise distributed with the expectation that the product or matter will be introduced into the human body, but does not include any produce specifically approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in treating nicotine or tobacco product dependence.

"Tobacco retailer"

means any person who sells, offers for sale, or does or offers to exchange for any form of consideration, in public view, tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco paraphernalia. Any person who distributes free or low cost samples of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia shall be deemed to be a tobacco retailer under this Article.

"Vending machine"

means a machine, appliance, or other mechanical device operated by currency, token, debit card, credit card, or any other form of payment that is designed or used for vending purposes, including, but not limited to, machines or devices that use remote control locking mechanisms.

"Youth decoy"

means a person under the age of eighteen who is used by the police department to conduct random onsite sting investigations to determine compliance with tobacco retailing laws.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) No person shall engage in or operate as a tobacco retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retailer's license pursuant to this Article for each location at which that activity is to occur. In addition to the criminal penalties attached to violations of this Section, tobacco retailing without a valid tobacco retailer's license is hereby declared a public nuisance.

(b) The display of any advertisement relating to tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia that promotes the sale or distribution of such products from the tobacco retailer's location or that could lead a reasonable consumer to believe that such products can be obtained at that location without the tobacco retailer first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retailer's license pursuant to this Article for each location at which the advertisement is displayed is prohibited and unlawful.

(c) The sale of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia from other than a fixed location, including, but not limited to, tobacco retailing, by persons on foot or from vehicles is prohibited and unlawful and no license shall be issued under this Article to any such activity.

(d) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to grant any person obtaining and maintaining a tobacco retailer's license any status or right other than the right to act as a tobacco retailer at the permitted location in the City of Inglewood. Nothing in this Article is intended to be construed to render inapplicable, supercede, or affect any other provision of applicable law, including but not limited to, any provision of this Code, or any condition or limitation on smoking in an enclosed place of employment pursuant to California Labor Code Section 6404.5.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) All applications shall be completed on a form prepared and supplied by the responsible City department. The application shall be signed under penalty of perjury. The following information shall be included, without limitation in the application:

(1) The name, address and telephone number of the proprietor, including, for noncorporate proprietors, the names of all principles. Corporate proprietors shall include the name of the designated agent for services of process.

(2) The name, address and telephone number of a responsible person or persons designated by the proprietor to receive any notices from the City relating to the business. If the designated agent information (name, address and telephone number) for notices is not provided, each proprietor shall be understood to have consented to the provision of notice at the business address specified on the application.

(3) The business name, address and telephone number of the retail location.

(4) Whether any other licenses have been issued to applicant for tobacco retail sales within the City of Inglewood, and if so the name and address of the businesses for which licenses have been issued.

(5) Whether or not any proprietor had admitted violating, or has been found to have violated this Article, or whose proprietorship has admitted violating, or has been found to have violated this Article, and, if so, the dates and location of all such violations within the previous six years.

(6) All information required to be submitted in order to apply for a tobacco retailer's license shall be updated with the department whenever the information changes. A tobacco retailer shall provide the department with any updates within ten business days of a change.

(7) Such other information as the department deems necessary for the administration or enforcement of this Article.

(8) A statement by the proprietor under penalty of perjury that the contents of the application are true and correct. False statements on the application shall be cause for license revocation.

(9) For retailers with multiple locations within the City of Inglewood, a separate application is required for each proposed retail location.

(b) No license shall be issued without satisfactory proof that the tobacco retailer has obtained a valid state tobacco retailer's license from the California Board of Equalization.

(c) Applicant shall be required to disclose any violations of the State tobacco licensing laws at any location within the City of Inglewood within the five years prior to the application for which applicant's state tobacco retailer's license was either suspended or revoked.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

The annual fee for filing an application for a tobacco retailer's license shall be established by resolution of the City Council and may be amended from time to time. The application fee shall be paid at the time of the initial application for a license and on the first day of January of each year thereafter. The fee paid shall not be refundable. The license fee shall be calculated so as to recover the cost of both the administration and enforcement of the tobacco retailer's license program, including the cost of issuing the license, renewing the license, administering the tobacco retailer's licensing program, retailer inspection and compliance checks, documentation of violations, adjudications and prosecutions of violators.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, and except where a tobacco retailer's establishment would not otherwise be permitted under local, state and/or Federal laws, a license shall be issued upon receipt of a complete application and conformity with all of the requirements set forth in the application procedure section of this Article, and payment of the license fee.

(b) A tobacco retailer's license will not be issued where:

(1) Suspension or revocation proceeding have been initiated by any local, state or Federal agency for violations of local, state or Federal tobacco control laws within the preceding thirty-day period.

(2) Proprietor or any person employed by proprietor has been convicted of any violation of any local, state or Federal tobacco control laws within six months prior to the date of application.

(3) The applicant has failed to pay an outstanding fine.

(4) The information presented on the application is incomplete, inaccurate, or false.

(5) The application seeks authorization for tobacco retailing for a proprietor to whom this Article prohibits a license to be issued.

(6) The application seeks authorization that is unlawful pursuant to the Inglewood Municipal Code which includes but is not limited to the city's zoning, building codes, licensing and permitting, or that is unlawful pursuant to any other local, state, or Federal law.

(c) Every license issued under this Article shall be posted and displayed at all times in a conspicuous place within the business location that is visible within the public portions of the business.

(d) A tobacco retailer's license is valid only for the location for which it has been issued and may not be transferred from one person to another or from one location to another.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Article, prior violations at a location shall continue to be counted against a location and license ineligibility periods shall continue to apply to a location unless:

(1) The location has been fully transferred to a new proprietor or fully transferred to entirely new proprietors; and

(2) The new proprietor provides the City with clear and convincing evidence that the new proprietor has acquired the location in an arm's length transaction.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) A tobacco retailer license will be valid through December 31st of every year and if not renewed, will expire. Each tobacco retailer shall apply for the renewal of his or her tobacco retailer's license and submit the license fee no later than thirty days prior to expiration of the term.

(b) If any material information required for issuance of a license herein has changed since the original license was issued, a new tobacco retailer's license is required before the business may continue to act as a tobacco retailer.

(c) A tobacco retailer's license that is not timely renewed shall expire at the end of its term. To reinstate a license that has expired or to renew a license not timely received pursuant to this Article, the proprietor must follow the application procedures set forth in Inglewood Municipal Code Section 8-112.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) No person engaged in tobacco retailing shall sell or transfer a tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia to another person who appears to be under the age of twenty-seven years, without first examining the identification of the recipient to confirm that the recipient is at least the minimum age under State law, to purchase and possess the tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia.

(b) No tobacco retailer shall permit any person who is younger than the minimum age established by State law for the purchase or possession of tobacco products, to engage or participate in the sale of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) The provisions of this Chapter shall be enforced by the Inglewood Police Department, or an authorized designee of the Business License Division, Code Enforcement Division, or by any other person or persons so designated by the City Administrator.

(b) Compliance checks shall determine, at a minimum, if the tobacco retailer is conducting business in a manner that complies with tobacco laws regulating youth access to tobacco.

(c) The City may use persons under the age of eighteen, but not younger than fifteen (youth decoys) to conduct random onsite sting inspections to determine whether or not a tobacco retailer is in compliance with all state and local laws relative to retail sales of tobacco products and tobacco paraphernalia. These youth decoys may be used for compliance and enforcement activities supervised by a peace officer. Participation in these enforcement and compliance activities by a person under the age of eighteen shall not constitute a violation of Penal Code Section 308 and the person under eighteen years of age is immune from prosecution under any provision of law prohibiting the purchase of tobacco products by a person under eighteen years of age.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) Violations of Section 8-111 (a) through (c) of this Article is unlawful.

(b) Pursuant to Government Code Section 36900(c) the maximum amount of the fine imposed for each code violation prosecuted as a misdemeanor under this Article shall be as follows:

(1) Two hundred dollars for a first violation;

(2) Five hundred dollars for a second violation within one year; and

(3) One thousand dollars ($1,000.00) dollars for each additional violation within one year.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)

(a) In addition to any criminal or other penalty authorized by law, a tobacco retailer's license may be suspended or revoked by the City Administrator or designee if it is determined that the licensee or his or her agents or employees has violated the conditions of the license imposed pursuant to this Article, or any other State or Federal law pertaining to the sale of tobacco products to underage minors.

(b) A tobacco retailer's license may be revoked by the City Administrator or designee if one of the following conditions exists:

(1) The information contained in the application, including supplemental information, if any, is found to be false in any material respect; or

(2) The license was issued in error or on the basis of false or misleading information supplied by a proprietor; or

(3) The tobacco retailer's license is unpaid; or

(4) The tobacco retailer's license has been transferred in violation of this Article; or

(5) The tobacco retailer's license has violated any section of this Article, or any State or Federal tobacco related law.

(c) The procedure used for appealing a revocation shall substantially conform to that set forth in Section 8-37 of Article 3 of Chapter 8 of the Inglewood Municipal Code or its successor provisions.

(d) Upon a finding of a first license violation, a fine of $1,000 shall be imposed.

(e) Upon a finding of a second license violation within a five-year period of the first violation, the license may be suspended for up to ninety days.

(f) Upon a finding by the City of a third violation within five years of the first violation, the license may be revoked.

(g) A tobacco retailer, whose license has been revoked, may not apply for a new tobacco retailer's license for a period of six months after the effective date of the revocation.

(h) In addition to the criminal or administrative fine imposed the City may also impose an additional charge to cover the City's actual enforcement costs including, but not limited to, time spend by code enforcement staff, supervisors and City Attorney's office, costs of compliance reinspections, and collection costs.

(i) In addition to the above any criminal or administrative remedy, a violation of this Article may be remedied by a civil injunction or abatement action initiated by the City Attorney.

(j) During any period of license suspension or revocation, the tobacco retailer must remove from public view all tobacco products, tobacco paraphernalia, and tobacco-related advertising.

(Ord. 07-23 10-23-07)