Agenda Item #11.3
For Council Meeting of: January 11, 2022
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: HALEIGH FLECK, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST
SANTA ROSA POLICE DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATION OF GRANT FUNDS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TOBACCO GRANT PROGRAM AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Police Department that the Council, by resolution: 1) accept a grant award from the California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program in the amount of $99,970; 2) authorize the Chief of Police, or his/her designee, to execute a Memorandum of Understanding and all related award documents and any amendments thereto required for receiving such funds pursuant to the terms and conditions of the California Department of Justice; and (3) appropriate $99,970 of grant funds to a project key to be established by the Chief Financial Officer.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This proposed resolution authorizes the Santa Rosa Police Department to accept grant funds awarded from the State of California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program to conduct operations to encourage compliance with tobacco related laws of sale and purchase until the end of the project on November 31, 2024.
This resolution supports Council Goal 6 by providing for community safety, valued City services and open government, and supports the City of Santa Rosa’s Mission to make Santa Rosa a safe place to live, work and play. Operations funded by the California Department of Justice Tobacco grant have an emphasis on ensuring licensed retailers and other members of the community are compliant with state and local laws including those that prohibit minors who are under the legal age from purchasing and consuming tobacco.
BACKGROUND
In support of a county-wide initiative (Breathe Easy Sonoma County) to reduce smoking and tobacco use, on July 7, 2015, the Santa Rosa City Council approved new and revised laws regarding smoking in Santa Rosa. The laws, which are included in Chapter 9-20 Smoking Regulations of the City of Santa Rosa, generally treat conventional smoking and use of electronic smoking devices (e-cigarettes) the same and address smoking in public and private places. This includes Santa Rosa’s 67 parks and on City-owned properties such as parking garages and parking lots, community centers, fire stations, City Hall, and other facilities. Smoking and use of electronic cigarettes is prohibited in all areas of the properties. Under these laws, 75% of hotel/motel rooms must be smoke-free. Additionally, the common areas of all multifamily attached housing, consisting of two or more residential units that share a wall, floor, or ceiling, must be smoke free. All multifamily attached housing units that are rented/leased on a month-to-month basis and owner-occupied units must be smoke-free, this includes the use of electronic cigarettes and "vaping". Despite these laws, tobacco remains a persistent issue in the community, especially among youth. Tobacco abuse is a prevalent issue county-wide, with Santa Rosa being the county seat and urban hub of Sonoma county, The Santa Rosa Police Departmentsees a significant portion of the issues stemming from tobacco. The Police Department recognizes the importance of addressing the increased need for tobacco law enforcement, especially for minors in the community.
California Department of Justice announced a funding opportunity authorized under the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 to broaden and increase the level of tobacco beverage law enforcement by working in partnership with local retailers and community members through a grant operations project.
On November 18, 2021, the Santa Rosa Police Department was selected to receive funding for the 2021-2022 Federal fiscal year from California Department of Justice.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
Not applicable.
ANALYSIS
Accepting this funding will allow the Santa Rosa Police Department to further a proven-effective approach to enforcing state and local tobacco laws until the grant ends on November 31, 2024.
Local retailers would be inspected for compliance with state and local tobacco sale laws.
Grant activities would include attending Juvenile Justice Day and Retail Merchants Association meetings, outreach inspections of retailers, minor decoy enforcement operations, and community outreach on project activities through social media.
Notice of grant operations will be published in press releases to the community at the beginning and end of the operations.
FISCAL IMPACT
An award amount of $99,970 has been initially approved by the State of California Department of Justice for Santa Rosa Police to conduct operations that enforce state and local laws surrounding the sale and purchase of tobacco. Funds will be appropriated into a project key account established by the Chief Financial Officer, or their designee. There are no matching funds for this grant.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not Applicable
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution / Exhibit A (Memorandum of Understanding)
CONTACT
Haleigh Fleck, Admin Analyst
HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected]
707-543-3683
ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATION OF GRANT FUNDS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TOBACCO GRANT PROGRAM Page PAGE \* Arabic \* MERGEFORMAT 1 of NUMPAGES \* Arabic \* MERGEFORMAT 2