ORDINANCE NO. 3294-25
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TERMINATION OF URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 3294-25
TERMINATION OF URGENCY ORDINANCE NO.
3294-25 OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, IMPOSING A
MORATORIUM ON DEVELOPMENT OF SMOKE
SHOPS IN THE CITY AND FINDING THE
TERMINATION IS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT
UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY ACT
WHEREAS, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development, which continues until about 25 years of age and poses a unique risk to youth; and WHEREAS, according to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Food and Drug Administration, approximately 2,800,000 high school students and middle school students reported using a tobacco product in the past year, and nearly 90 percent of youth electronic cigarette users used flavored products; and
WHEREAS, sales data has shown a surge in illegal, unregulated flavored tobacco products, such as flavored disposable electronic cigarettes, being imported into the United States from foreign countries in recent years, and in December 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration and the United States Customs and Border Protection announced the seizure of approximately 1,400,000 units of unauthorized electronic cigarette products worth over $18,000,000 at Los Angeles International Airport; and
WHEREAS, the state has passed recent legislation strengthening tobacco oversight programs and expanding the seizure of illegal tobacco products which it has deemed essential to achieving the state’s public health goal of lowering youth tobacco use; and
WHEREAS, the Redondo Beach Police Department has received complaints about the selling of illegal flavored tobacco and cannabis products throughout the City, which were confirmed through two recent inspections, conducted on March 6, 2025 of a smoke shop located in the 2400 block of 190th Street and on March 19, 2025 of a smoke shop on in the 2200 block of Artesia Boulevard; and
ORDINANCE NO. 3294-25
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WHEREAS, on January 21, 2025, the City Council held a meeting to discuss potential updates to the City Municipal Code that would enhance the regulation of smoke shops and tobacco retailers, and directed staff to return with a draft ordinance; and,
WHEREAS, on April 15, 2025, staff presented a draft Ordinance to the City Council that includes a new requirement for a conditional use permit, limits the number and location of smoke shops, and includes operating standards and enforcement provisions and;
WHEREAS, a 45-day interim urgency ordinance was adopted May 6, 2025 that placed a moratorium on new smoke shops while a permanent ordinance was being researched, drafted, prepared and adopted; and
WHEREAS, on June 10, 2025 the interim urgency ordinance was extended for an additional 10 months and 15 days in order to provide sufficient time for the research, drafting, and preparation of a permanent ordinance which was necessary for the immediate protection of the public peace, health and safety and its urgency was declared for the following reasons: the City of Redondo Beach would suffer potentially irreversible impacts during the period before a permanent ordinance would become effective; and
WHEREAS, on July 17, 2025 the Planning Commission reviewed the draft smoke shop and tobacco sales ordinance and adopted a resolution making recommendations to the City Council; and
WHEREAS, on August 19, 2025 staff presented the draft smoke shop and tobacco sales ordinance to the City Council with the Planning Commission recommendations and received input on the proposed ordinance; and WHEREAS, on October 21, 2025 staff presented the updated draft smoke shop and tobacco sales ordinance to the City Council; and WHEREAS, on November 18, 2025 the City Council approved the introduction and first reading of the smoke shop and tobacco sales ordinance; and WHEREAS, on December 2, 2025 the City Council approved the second reading and adoption of the smoke shop and tobacco sales ordinance and it will go into effect 30 days thereafter; and
WHEREAS, Redondo Beach Municipal Code Sections 10-2.402(a)(167.5); 10-2.1641 and 10-2.1626(b) (collectively “Inland Sections”) relate to the inland portions of the City and Redondo Beach Municipal Code Sections 10-5.402(a); 10-
5.1639; 10-5.1626(b) (collectively “Costal Sections”) relate to the coastal portions of the City and Sections 1; and Redondo Beach Municipal Code Sections 1-2.03 and 5-9.204(a)(4) (collectively “City Wide Sections”) apply City wide; and ORDINANCE NO. 3294-25
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WHEREAS, Urgency Ordinance No. 3294-25 as it relates to the inland portions of the City should remain valid and in full force until the Inland Sections and the City Wide Sections become operative; and Urgency Ordinance No. 3294- 25 as it relates to the coastal portions of the City should remain valid and in full force until the Coastal Sections obtain certification by the coastal commission.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City finds that the above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein by reference as set forth in full.
SECTION 2. The City has fully evaluated the potential environmental effects of adoption of the Termination of Urgency Ordinance No. 3294-25 terminating the moratorium on developments of smoke shops on any property located within the City of Redondo Beach within the meaning of and pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, and the City Council has, concurrently with consideration of this Termination of Urgency Ordinance, confirmed this action is consistent with classes of projects that do not have a significant effect on the environment and thereby approved a Statutory Exemption and Categorical Exemptions certifying that the Termination of Urgency Ordinance No.3294-25 is exempt from the requirement for the preparation of further environmental documents.
SECTION 3. It is hereby declared that Urgency Ordinance No. 3294-25 is terminated for the inland portions of the City on January 1, 2026.
SECTION 4. It is hereby declared that Urgency Ordinance No. 3294.25 is terminated for the coastal portions of the City upon Coastal Commission certification.
SECTION 5. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 6. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Ordinance, and shall make a minute of the passage and adoption thereof in the records and proceedings of the City Council at which the same is passed and adopted. This Ordinance shall be published by one insertion in the Easy Reader, ORDINANCE NO. 3294-25
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the official newspaper of said City, and the same shall be in full force and operation immediately but with the effective dates for the inland and coastal portions as set forth in Sections 3 and 4 above .
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 9
th day of December, 2025.
James A. Light, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:
_____________________________ ______________________________ Joy A. Ford, City Attorney Eleanor Manzano, CMC, City Clerk ORDINANCE NO. 3294-25
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS
CITY OF REDONDO BEACH )
I, Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk of the City of Redondo Beach, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing Termination of Urgency Ordinance No. 3294-25 was duly introduced, approved and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 9th day of December, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_____
Eleanor Manzano, CMC
City Clerk