HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/1/2025 Item Public Comment, Alber
Julia Mary Alber <
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:Katharine Jenna Santilena; tobaccofreeslo@gmail.com
Subject:Public Comment from TCC Meeting
Attachments:2025_San Luis Obispo ALA Local Grades.pdf; SLO City Council Public Comment from
TCC 4-1-25.docx
This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond.
Dear Mayor Stewart and City Council Members,
I am attaching a public comment that will be made in person at today’s City Council Meeting from the
SLO County Tobacco Control Coaliton.
In addition, I am attaching the 2025 American Lung Association (ALA) Scorecard. Every year, the
ALA releases a scorecard for every city and county, which provides a grade on the jurisdiction’s
smoke free policies, retail regulations, and overall tobacco control efforts to address the health
impacts of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. We wanted to share results for SLO.
Thank you,
Julia Alber
Chair, SLO County Tobacco Control Coalition
1
Arro
y
o
G
r
a
n
d
e
Mor
r
o
B
a
y
Pism
o
B
e
a
c
h
Ata
s
c
a
d
e
r
o
Pas
o
R
o
b
l
e
s
Gro
v
e
r
B
e
a
c
h
San
L
u
i
s
O
b
i
s
p
o
San
L
u
i
s
O
b
i
s
p
o
C
o
u
n
t
y
Unin
c
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
d
60
State Of Tobacco Control 2025 - California Local Grades
State of Tobacco Control 2025California Local Grades
Overall Tobacco Control Grade C C C A C D B B
Total Points 5 6 5 13 5 4 10 9
Smokefree Outdoor Air D A D A B A A B
Dining 0 4 0 4 4 4 2 4
Entryways 0 4 0 4 4 4 4 4
Public Events 0 4 0 3 4 4 4 0
Recreation Areas 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3
Service Areas 0 4 0 4 0 4 4 4
Sidewalks 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Worksites 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
Total Points 4 21 4 21 16 22 20 16
Smokefree Housing F C F A C F C C
Nonsmoking Apartments 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
Nonsmoking Condominiums 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
Nonsmoking Common Areas 0 4 0 4 4 0 4 4
Total Points 0 4 0 12 4 0 4 4
Reducing Sales of Tobacco Products A F A A F F A A
Tobacco Retailer Licensing 4 0 4 4 0 0 4 4
Total Points 4 0 4 4 0 0 4 4
Restrictions on Flavored Tobacco Products N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Flavored Tobacco Products 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Points 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Emerging Issues Bonus Points
Emerging Products Definition - Secondhand Smoke 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Emerging Products Definition - Licensing 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
Emerging Products Definition - Cannabis 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Retailer Location Restrictions 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sale of Tobacco Products in Pharmacies 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Minimum Price of Cigarettes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Minimum Pack Size of Cigars 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Total Points 3 2 3 5 2 2 3 3
San Luis Obispo
County
↑ Return to TOC
Dear Mayor Stewart and City Council Members,
My name is Kate Santilena, and I am here on behalf of the SLO County Tobacco Control
Coalition to share results from the 2025 American Lung Association (ALA) Scorecard. Every
year, the American Lung Association releases a scorecard for every city and county, which
provides a grade on the jurisdiction’s smoke free policies, retail regulations, and overall tobacco
control efforts to address the health impacts of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.
We wanted to share results for SLO.
SLO received the following grades in key categories:
● Overall Tobacco Control Grade: B
● Smokefree Outdoor Air: A
● Smokefree Housing: C
As you can see, SLO’s lowest grade is related to smoke free housing. The City received a C
because the City’s secondhand smoke protections only cover the common areas of multiunit
housing, not within the housing units themselves.
As you know, we have had many productive discussions with the Council about the importance
of smokefree multi-unit housing, and we appreciate your interest in addressing this issue. While
SLO’s lowest grade remains in this category, we want to acknowledge the Council’s
commitment to finding solutions and prioritizing healthy housing for all residents. We are
grateful for your leadership and look forward to continuing to support you in making smoke free
housing a reality.
We also wanted to highlight other gains in communities across California, which include
Carlsbad most recently, who just adopted multi-unit housing smoke free policies joining 109
jurisdictions.
San Luis Obispo has made progress in certain areas, but there are still opportunities to improve
protections for residents, particularly in expanding smoke free housing policies and further
regulating tobacco sales to prevent youth access.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kate Santilena
Member, SLO County Tobacco Control Coalition