HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 04 2025 Item 8.2 - Tobacco and Smoking Control Ordinance - Tanya PayyappillyCAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening
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From:Tanya Payyappilly
To:All Council Members; Public Comments
Cc:tobaccoprevention
Subject:EXTERNAL - Breathe California Letter of Support Item# 8.2 Tobacco Retail License
Date:Sunday, August 3, 2025 9:29:36 PM
Attachments:image001.png
BreatheLetsupportGilroy TRL ORDINANCE August2025.pdf
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
Breathe California is happy to support the Item#8.2 on the agenda for the City Council meeting
on August 4, 2025. Thank you for considering this important issue to safeguard the public,
especially our youth and young adults.
Attached is our letter of support. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Warmly,
Tanya Payyappilly, MD, MPH
CEO
of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, and Central Coast
1469 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 998-5865 | Web: www.lungsrus.org
Breathe California is dedicated to fighting lung disease, advocating for clean air and promoting public health in our
local communities.
Breathe California
of the Bay Area,
Golden Gate, and
Central Coast
1469 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 998-5865
Toll-Free: 1-877-3-BREATHE
Fax: (408) 998-0578
www.lungsrus.org
info@lungsrus.org
Tax ID#: 94-1156307
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairperson
Amresh Prasad
Secretary
Joann Blessing-Moore, MD
Treasurer
Astha Sharma, PMP
Directors
Frank DeBiaso
Richard Stedman, APCO
Roslyn Bienenstock, RRT, MPH
Sulochina Lulla, MD
Terry Trumbull
Thomas M. Dailey, MD, FCCP
Tracy Richmond McKnight, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Tanya Payyappilly, MD, MPH
Deputy Executive Director
Margo Sidener, MS, CHES
A member of the
Breathe America ™
Alliance
August 2, 2025
The Honorable Mayor Bozzo, Councilmember Bracco, Councilmember Cline,
Councilmember Fugazzi, Councilmember Hilton, Mayor Pro Tempore Marques, and
Councilmember Ramirez
Gilroy City Hall
7351 Rosanna St.
Gilroy, CA 95020
RE: Support to strengthen the City of Gilroy’s tobacco retail licensing (TRL) and
secondhand smoke laws
Dear Mayor, and Councilmembers:
Breathe California of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, and Central Coast urges you to act now
to strengthen the City of Gilroy’s Tobacco Retail License. Banning only the sale of
flavors may be ineffective in curbing vaping and addiction, especially among the most
vulnerable population; that is youth.
Modified marketing tactics, that include introducing newer products like disposables and
non-disposables and labeling them as such, are most often the reason why we have youth
and young adults get hooked at such an early age. A few years ago, we did not have
much research and evidence, even though we knew that these electronic products are
harmful. However, that is no longer the case. According to a recent study
(https://evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/EVIDoa2300229#sec-4),
e-cigarette use is associated with additional adverse effects and higher odds of disease
compared with cigarettes for all outcomes. Do you still want these products to be easily
accessible in your community?
Our agency, founded in San Jose in 1911, is dedicated to working to prevent initiation to
tobacco use. Youth access to tobacco is a problem in Gilroy. Sadly, in Santa Clara County
the average age of tobacco use initiation is 14 years and 83.8% reported their first
product to be vape. 11 out of the 50 tobacco retail stops in Gilroy are within 1,000 feet of
schools. This creates easy access to these products at such a delicate and formative age.
Like many other cities in the County, Gilroy can put a stop to this and prevent new youth
from getting addicted while also fostering a positive environment to quit for those who are
already using these products.
We thank you for considering closing the loopholes that would include detailed enforcement
provisions like fees, limit retailer density, including buffer zones from youth-sensitive areas
and other retailers, sales restricting ALL flavored tobacco and vaping products and consider
capping on retailers to address the density issues.
We applaud your efforts in 2023 when you adopted the secondhand smoke protections for
multi-unit housing and public events. We hope you consider re-examining them and add the
outdoor dining areas. Breathe California has collected 100 petition signatures in Gilroy from
residents who were affected by secondhand smoke who frequently dine in restaurants, and
from those who live and work in the city.
Considering strengthening your existing policies will better protect those targeted by the tobacco industry, especially
communities of color, disadvantaged communities, and LGBTQ populations. We cannot expect the industry’s attitude
to change, but you can certainly use this strategy to protect our young and vulnerable populations by reducing access.
Thank you for your commitment to ensure a healthy environment for Gilroy.
Sincerely,
Tanya Payyappilly, CEO