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November 15, 2021 Re: Flavored Tobacco Products and OUR KIDS Dear Honorable Mayor and Council Members As two cofounders of Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes (PAVe), a national organization founded in 2018 by three moms as a grassroots response to the youth vaping epidemic, we write today to express our strong support for ending the sale all flavored tobacco products in Santa Ana, with no exemptions. PAVe's passionate parent volunteers have been advocating for flavor -ban legislation not only in Santa Ana but across California, participating in successful legislative campaigns in San Francisco (Proposition Q in Sacramento and the County of Los Angeles (a ban on all flavored tobacco products); and at the state level where we helped pass SB 793, which is now on hold due to Big Tobacco's despicable referendum. We are grateful to serve as important partners for California's county, city, and state anti -tobacco coalitions. According to the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), 3.6 million young people are regularly vaping, and the research has proven that flavors are hooking our kids. The latest figures show that 8 out of 10 teens who vape choose flavors. With 40% of high-school users using an e-cigarette on 20 or more days out of the month, we must take action immediately to protect these teens from becoming an entire generation of nicotine addicts. This issue is made even more urgent in light of COVID; a recent Stanford -led study reports that teens who vape are 5-to-7 times more likely to contract the virus. And that's why it is essential that the Santa Ana end the sale of all flavored tobacco with no exemptions, to protect all kids from the predatory behavior of Big Tobacco, an industry that has historically used flavors to target young people. Meanwhile, SB 793 was challenged by a tobacco -industry -funded ballot initiative and is delayed in its implementation by one or two years, if it gets implemented at all. We need cities like Santa Ana to take strong action to prevent California's kids not only from dangerous flavored products but from becoming Big Tobacco's next generation of lifetime customers. That's why we urge you to immediately end the sale of all flavored tobacco products with no exemptions by matching the strong protections already passed in many other Southern California municipalities. SB 793, if it survives the referendum, provides a floor, but not a ceiling, for a local ordinance. You can, and should, go further. The 2020 federal guidance, which banned flavors for POD based systems (like JUUL) but left menthol POD based systems on the market and allowed flavored liquids for refillable systems to stay, created an enormous loophole for flavored disposable e-cigarettes. Use of disposable products, the teen favorite, has increased by 1000% among teens who vape. And, among teens who vape, almost 40% use menthol flavor, a figure made more disturbing by the fact that it does not include teens who use mentholated "iced" flavors. For these reasons we are proud to advocate for a strong TRL that includes a comprehensive flavor ordinance in Santa Ana. Please provide the kids of Santa Ana the same protections enjoyed by the kids many other surrounding municipalities. Should you have any questions about our position, please do not hesitate to contact PAVe Co - Founders Dorian Fuhrman and Meredith Berkman at (646) 838-7718. Sincerely, Dorian Fuhrman and Meredith Berkman Co Founders PAVe www.parentsagainstvaping.org