BACKGROUND:
California Department of Justice (DOJ) established the Tobacco Grant Program in 2017; the grant is funded via the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Act of 2016. The grant provides reimbursable funds to public agencies to enable tobacco related education and enforcement.
DISCUSSION:
In April of 2021, Councilmember Ross provided a link to this grant, Cathedral City Police (CCPD) proceeded to develop a program focused around educating students, retailers, staff, and the public. After completing and submitting the grant application, CCPD was notified in November of 2021 that the application had been approved. CCPD was approved for a 36-month grant with the total award amount of $639,143.
The plan developed by staff includes education for students in grades 4-12 and education for CCPD personnel regarding tobacco laws. It also includes education to the 49 licensed tobacco retailers within the city and outreach/education to the public via social media. In addition, funding has been approved for signage to provide to retailers and education materials/brochures to provide to students and retailers. Lastly, compliance checks and enforcement will be conducted by CCPD personnel to combat the sale of tobacco products to minors.
The funding for the plan will be comprised of reimbursement of patrol overtime to conduct education, compliance operations, and public outreach. It will also include funding toward the position of School Resource Officer to conduct tobacco related education within Cathedral City’s schools. Reimbursement for signage, brochures, and tobacco products used for educational purposes and reimbursement of administrative costs associated with the program are also included.
This grant will provide an opportunity for CCPD personnel to provide much needed education to the community, especially school aged children and adolescents in regard to tobacco use. It will also provide an opportunity to hold tobacco retailers accountable when/if they choose to sell tobacco products to underage persons.
The final requirement in the Tobacco Grant acceptance process is for CCPD to provide DOJ with an approved copy of a local governing body resolution authorizing the organization to receive the grant funds and enter into an MOU between the City of Cathedral City and California Department of Justice.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact to the General Fund. The Tobacco Grant is the result of Proposition 56 (California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016), which increased taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products by $2.00 beginning in April 2017. For the current grant cycle, DOJ is awarding grants based on a competitive process to California Law Enforcement and public-school agencies in which CCPD has met all the requirements and been allocated funds of $639,143 through FY 2023-2024. There is no local match requirement.