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r4CALIFORNIA <br /> RETAILERS <br /> kilSSOCIATION <br /> December 21, 2021 <br /> Re: Ordinance Prohibiting the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products <br /> Dear Members of the Santa Ana City Council: <br /> On behalf of the California Retailers Association (CRA), inclusive of our grocery and retail <br /> pharmacy members, we respectfully urge the Council to refrain from passing a prohibition on the sale of <br /> flavored tobacco products. California has already raised the age requirement for purchasing tobacco to <br /> 21,which has shown to be the most effective way to prevent adolescent tobacco/nicotine use. <br /> Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are at all-time youth usage lows since the law raising the minimum <br /> age of purchase to 21 went into effect and bans of vaping products discourage current smokers from <br /> switching to less harmful options. <br /> The California Retailers Association is the only statewide trade association representing all <br /> segments of the retail industry including general merchandise, department stores, mass merchandisers, <br /> fast food restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets and grocery stores, chain drug, and specialty <br /> retail such as auto,vision,jewelry, hardware and home stores. CRA works on behalf of California's retail <br /> industry, which currently operates over 164,200 stores and employs around 2,776,000 people— <br /> nearly one fifth of California's total employment. <br /> Prohibition never works, especially at a local level with a patchwork of ordinances throughout <br /> the state—there is a statewide ballot initiative that Californians are already scheduled to vote on next <br /> year, addressing this issue at a statewide level. If this ban is approved, consumers can simply go outside <br /> the city limits to obtain products, costing the city legal tax revenues. There are currently 89 legal, <br /> responsible tobacco retailers in Santa Ana, and 85% are minority-owned. The small business community <br /> is still recovering from COVID-19 and with variants like Omicron spreading, a ban like this could put <br /> many out of business. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Ryan Allain <br /> Manager, State and Local Government Affairs <br /> California Retailers Association <br /> 1121 L Street, Suite 607 • Sacramento, CA 95814 • P: 916/443-1975 • www.calretailers.com <br />