From: Karissa Moreno
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] In Support of SR TRL
Date: Friday, July 12, 2024 3:48:24 PM
Attachments: Outlook-50otxu2u.png
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TRL Letter to City of Santa Rosa_NCCWB_July 2024.pdf
Dear Santa Rosa City Council Members,
I respectfully submit this letter in support of a broad Santa Rosa City Tobacco Retail License.
We appreciate your support in creating a safer community for all of our residents.
Warmly,
Karissa
Karissa Moreno, MA (she/her/ella)
Executive Director | Center for Well-Being
Direct: 707.338.6219 | Main: 707.575.6043
norcalwellbeing.org
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The Center for Well-Being’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of our community through evidence-based health practices and innovative programs that advance health equity for all.
July 12, 2024
Re: TRL, July 23, 2024, Santa Rosa City Council Meeting
Dear Santa Rosa City Council,
As the Executive Director of the Northern California Center for Well Being, a local non- profit dedicated to the elimination of chronic disease in our region, I am writing in support of a proposed Santa Rosa Tobacco Retail License (TRL). Because our organization is actively involved in smoking prevention and cessation, and because we are committed to supporting the health and well-being of our entire community, I am encouraging the Council to support this city-wide TRL.
Santa Rosa is surrounded by jurisdictions that have TRLs such as Petaluma, Sebastopol, Town of Windsor, City of Sonoma, and the County; however, without a TRL in our city, more tobacco retailers and vape shops have opened to meet the demand. We know that youth vaping is an epidemic – and the use of nicotine by our youth puts them at risk for increased blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease and increases anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. The Council has an opportunity to make the health and well-being of our youth a priority by passing a city-wide TRL.
We know that tobacco kills. We also know that Big Tobacco targets youth, communities of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community with the predatory marketing of flavored tobacco products and vape products. It is imperative that we prioritize the health and well-being of historically marginalized communities and our youth.
Please restrict the sale of flavored nicotine and tobacco products in Santa Rosa by supporting the Santa Rosa Tobacco Retail License.
Thank you,
Karissa Moreno
Executive Director
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 3644
Santa Rosa, CA, 95402
Phone 707-575-6043
Fax: 707-575-1060
www.norcalwellbeing.org
Board of Directors
Gary Hochman,
President
Brittany Lobo, MPH
President Elect
Michael Woon-Fat, MBA,
Treasurer
Andrew Spaulding, ESQ.
Secretary
Surani Kwan, DNP, MBA, FNP-
BC, FACHE, FAANP
Past President
Carme Luis, MS, SPHR
Jane Read, RN, MSN
Monique Most, Ed.D.
Maria Juarez Sanchez, LCSW
Bruce Heller, MD
Dory Escobar, PhD
Executive Director
Karissa Moreno, MA
Tax ID: 93-1144835
From: Kelly Dixon
To: CityCouncilListPublic; Alvarez, Eddie; Stapp, Mark; MacDonald, Dianna; Fleming, Victoria; Rogers, Chris; Okrepkie, Jeff; Rogers, Natalie
Cc:
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Letter to Santa Rosa City Council from GHAC - re: Tobacco Retail Licensing Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 10:59:41 AM
Attachments: Letter to Santa Rosa City Council 7-15-24.docx Hello,
Please find the attached letter to Santa Rosa City Council from GHAC - re: Tobacco Retail Licensing.
Thank you,
Kelly Dixon
Gravenstein Health Action Coalition
July 15, 2024
To Santa Rosa City Council
RE: Tobacco Retail Licensing
The Gravenstein Health Action Coalition (GHAC) strongly urges you to support a city-wide Tobacco Retail License (TRL) banning flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes. GHAC is a local non-profit with a mission to mobilize community partnerships and resources to achieve equity and to improve the health, safety and well-being for the communities in Sonoma County Your adoption of a TRL can help prevent early addiction of Santa Rosa youth to nicotine. According to the FDA teens who have vaped are almost 4 times as likely to go on to smoke traditional cigarettes. Annual costs to Californians due to tobacco use is estimated at 9.8 billion dollars annually. Tobacco use in both the US and in California is one of the leading causes of preventable death.
In keeping with our mission, we partner with Tobacco Free Sonoma County Community Coalition (TFSCCC) to work toward ending the use of tobacco and nicotine products, with emphasis on youth. According to the CDC the tobacco spends $22.5 million per day or $25 for every person in the US on marketing tobacco products). Particularly focusing on youth in order to ensure life long users.
With the help of the information and resources provided by Impact Sonoma we were able to encourage the City of Sebastopol to adopt a comprehensive Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance. This ordinance was adopted in September of 2020. Consistency from community to community is a must for this ordinance and the TRL’s passed in Windsor and Petaluma, to be effective. These important strategies will make all of our communities more effective by narrowing the availability of these products across localities.
A 2019 impact study of California’s local TRL ordinances found that youth and young adults in area with TRL ordinances have lower rates of electronic smoking device use compared to the jurisdictions with poor or no regulation. Consistent regulations across Sonoma County are an effective approach to reduce nicotine addiction and improve the health and well-being of Sonoma County. Please vote yes for the City of Santa Rosa’s Tobacco Retail License.
Sincerely,
Mary Lou Schmidt, RN, MSN
President of the Board
Gravenstein Health Action Coalition