News
Released: January 29, 2014 - Wednesday, 10:35 AM
The San Luis Obispo County Health Agency’s Tobacco Control Program in coordination with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office conducted a recent countywide tobacco sales compliance check operation which ended on January 26, 2014. The enforcement activity utilized underage decoys to regulate illegal sales of tobacco products to minors and resulted in fourteen (14) businesses selling to a decoy (a 25.93% illegal sales rate) in the unincorporated areas of the county. The illegal sales rate has doubled in each of the last two compliance operations, increasing from 5.17% to 11.11%, then to 25.93% in the latest round of monitoring.
The compliance checks focused on unincorporated communities including but not limited to San Miguel, Santa Margarita, Cambria, Cayucos, Los Osos, Avila Beach, Oceano and Nipomo. The incorporated cities within the county did not participate in these sting operations. With the assistance of three local teen (under age 18) decoys, fifty-four (54) tobacco retailer locations were visited throughout the county. Fourteen clerks of the 54 retailers illegally sold tobacco to the decoy, accounting for the 25.93% sales rate. Under Penal Code § 308(a), it is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.
The fourteen (14) stores that engaged in the illegal sale of tobacco products to a minor with no prior violations were: 1) Baywood Market, 1297 2nd Street, Los Osos; 2) Central Market, 2061 Cienega Street, Oceano; 3) Nipomo Marketplace, 501 West Tefft Street, Nipomo; 4) Nipomo Smoke Shop, 110 Mary Street, Suite 3, Nipomo; 5) Tobacco Castle, 2179 10th Street, Los Osos; 6) Von’s Gas, 550 West Tefft Street, Nipomo. The following stores sustained their second violation: 7) Bob & Jan’s Bottle Shop, 2292 Main Street, Cambria; 8) CVS Nipomo, 610 West Tefft Street, Nipomo; 9) La Placita Market, 515 Orchard Road, Nipomo; 10) Mesa View Market, 610 Mesa View Drive, Arroyo Grande; 11) Santa Margarita KOA, 4765 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita; 12) Stop N’ Buy, 460 West Tefft Street, Nipomo. The following stores sustained their third violation: 13) Mission Market & Deli, 1402 Mission Street, San Miguel; 14) Oceano Market & Gas, 1711 Front Street, Oceano.
The San Luis Obispo County Health Agency's Tobacco Control Program offers an educational program to retailers with training on how to refuse a sale, methods to identify an underage buyer and instruction on properly reading an identification card or driver’s license. Members of the public or media with questions regarding the sale of tobacco products to minors are encouraged to call the Tobacco Control Program at (805) 781-5564.
Tobacco Sting
Contact: Tony CipollaPhone: (805) 781 4547Date and time of incident: N/APlace of Occurrence: Unincorporated Area of San Luis Obispo County Victim Information: N/ASuspect Information: N/ATOBACCO STING CONDUCTED IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY – 14 STORES CAUGHT SELLING TO MINORS. SALES RATE DOUBLES, THIRD VIOLATION FOR TWO STORES, SECOND VIOLATION FOR SIX STORESThe San Luis Obispo County Health Agency’s Tobacco Control Program in coordination with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office conducted a recent countywide tobacco sales compliance check operation which ended on January 26, 2014. The enforcement activity utilized underage decoys to regulate illegal sales of tobacco products to minors and resulted in fourteen (14) businesses selling to a decoy (a 25.93% illegal sales rate) in the unincorporated areas of the county. The illegal sales rate has doubled in each of the last two compliance operations, increasing from 5.17% to 11.11%, then to 25.93% in the latest round of monitoring.
The compliance checks focused on unincorporated communities including but not limited to San Miguel, Santa Margarita, Cambria, Cayucos, Los Osos, Avila Beach, Oceano and Nipomo. The incorporated cities within the county did not participate in these sting operations. With the assistance of three local teen (under age 18) decoys, fifty-four (54) tobacco retailer locations were visited throughout the county. Fourteen clerks of the 54 retailers illegally sold tobacco to the decoy, accounting for the 25.93% sales rate. Under Penal Code § 308(a), it is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.
The fourteen (14) stores that engaged in the illegal sale of tobacco products to a minor with no prior violations were: 1) Baywood Market, 1297 2nd Street, Los Osos; 2) Central Market, 2061 Cienega Street, Oceano; 3) Nipomo Marketplace, 501 West Tefft Street, Nipomo; 4) Nipomo Smoke Shop, 110 Mary Street, Suite 3, Nipomo; 5) Tobacco Castle, 2179 10th Street, Los Osos; 6) Von’s Gas, 550 West Tefft Street, Nipomo. The following stores sustained their second violation: 7) Bob & Jan’s Bottle Shop, 2292 Main Street, Cambria; 8) CVS Nipomo, 610 West Tefft Street, Nipomo; 9) La Placita Market, 515 Orchard Road, Nipomo; 10) Mesa View Market, 610 Mesa View Drive, Arroyo Grande; 11) Santa Margarita KOA, 4765 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita; 12) Stop N’ Buy, 460 West Tefft Street, Nipomo. The following stores sustained their third violation: 13) Mission Market & Deli, 1402 Mission Street, San Miguel; 14) Oceano Market & Gas, 1711 Front Street, Oceano.
The San Luis Obispo County Health Agency's Tobacco Control Program offers an educational program to retailers with training on how to refuse a sale, methods to identify an underage buyer and instruction on properly reading an identification card or driver’s license. Members of the public or media with questions regarding the sale of tobacco products to minors are encouraged to call the Tobacco Control Program at (805) 781-5564.
