Starting this fall, retailers in the City of Los Angeles will have to pay a $208 permit fee in order to sell tobacco products. The extra revenues will be used to more than double the number of compliance checks and increase the number of City Attorney staff members dedicated to enforcement of tobacco laws. The fee will be increased to $274 in the second year to further expand compliance checks. The City Council unanimously approved the bill, which was co-authored by Council President Alex Padilla and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, on Tuesday morning. Padilla’s office reported that a recent compliance survey conducted by the City Attorney’s office found that 39.9 percent of tobacco retailers are selling to minors the number grows to 44.3 percent for retailers within 1,000 feet of a school.
