By Khalida Sarwari
Saratoga has the most commendable tobacco control regulations but also the most objectionable policies related to tobacco control. It all depends upon who you ask.
In the American Lung Association’s annual State of Tobacco Control 2013 report card released in January, Saratoga received a “D” grade for the fourth consecutive year based on the city’s policies related to smoke-free outdoor air, smoke-free housing and efforts to reduce the sale of tobacco products.
And Saratoga was not alone. Of the 15 cities in Santa Clara County, 13 received either a grade of “D” or “F.”
But, in the Tobacco Free Coalition of Santa Clara County Community’s Health on Tobacco report card released last summer, Saratoga received an “A,” a grade that some–including Councilman Manny Cappello–believe is more reflective of the city’s efforts.
Cappello argued that while the ALA’s objectives are worthy, cities are not graded on their ability to address the tobacco-related issues unique to their community or the effectiveness of their efforts to reduce tobacco use or exposure to secondhand smoke.
“It touches on areas that we don’t necessarily see as a problem in Saratoga,” he said. “Extending our ordinances to meet the ALA requirements may be something that’s appropriate for us to consider in the future, but right now it doesn’t make a lot of sense because they’re pretty far-reaching, and I don’t think they necessarily satisfy our objectives any more than what we’re achieving today.”
The last time Saratoga addressed the issue of tobacco control was in 2010 when the city adopted a smoke-free recreational areas ordinance, with the intent to curb secondhand smoke in the community, especially around young people.
The ordinance prohibits the use of tobacco products in city parks–where there are “No Smoking” signs, recreational areas and city offices. Prior to that, in 2009 Saratoga adopted a tobacco retailer ordinance that requires retailers to obtain a conditional use permit and limits the density of tobacco retailers near schools and parks.
Saratoga retailers have also traditionally done well in tobacco decoy operations, with the businesses being 100 percent compliant during those operations. The city works with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the operations on a sample of its tobacco retailers.
Typically during those operations, a young person who appears to be below the age limit will be sent into a retailer and will attempt to purchase a pack of cigarettes. In order to pass, the merchants are then required to ask for an ID before they complete the transaction. The last operation was conducted a few weeks ago at two businesses, and both were compliant, according to Cappello.
“We’ve never had a retailer fail yet, and hopefully we don’t,” Cappello said. “All of our retailers have been very responsible.”
The county’s report card evaluates cities annually based on their effort toward complying with federal and state requirements, strength of policies that prevent tobacco sales to minors and enforcement of laws that prohibit tobacco sales to minors.
Cities receive additional points for community education efforts, stronger local tobacco control policies affecting the retail environment and for conducting additional tobacco prevention enforcement.
Last year marked Saratoga’s second “A” grade from the county. Cappello said he believes that this grade is an accurate reflection of the city’s efforts toward tobacco use prevention and protecting youth from tobacco.
“The regulations that we put in our city are very consistent with the county regulations, so we’re in close alignment with each other,” he said. “I think we’ve done a really good job of implementing the county requirements into various code ordinances so that it serves the specific needs of our community.”
For the most part, Saratogans are generally health-conscious, and any actions the city takes to reduce the presence of tobacco in the community is part of a larger effort to promote a healthy environment, said Cappello.
“The smoking ordinances that have been passed are just one piece of that,” he said. “The other piece is making sure our parks are well-maintained and trails are mapped out so people can get out and bike and hike and ride the horses and do all the things that make us a healthy, happy city because that’s what the ultimate goal of all this is.”
To view the ALA’s report, visit stateoftobaccocontrol.org/state-grades/california.
Cappello hopes to clear the air over the city’s different smoking grades
