State Government

California Awards Millions In Grants Aimed At Stopping Tobacco Sales To Kids

June 12, 2018 | Steve Milne

Police departments in Stockton, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Rocklin will be getting more money to crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco products to kids. They're among more than 70 entities throughout California getting state grant money.

Health Care

Sacramento Communities Eye Yolo County's Flavored Tobacco Ban

July 20, 2017 | Sammy Caiola

Communities in the Sacramento area are watching how a Yolo County ban on flavored tobacco is working.

Health Care

Cost Of Smoking At $300 Billion A Year For Americans

January 18, 2017 | Rich Ibarra

A personal finance web site calculated the cost of smoking after medical bills, loss of productivity and packs of cigarettes at $300 billion a year for Americans. California's cost is over $36,000 per smoker per year.

New Law Bans Tobacco Products At Youth Sports Events

December 27, 2016 | Daniel Potter

A new law to keep people from smoking near youth sports events took an unusual path to the California Legislature. The law’s key architects included an eighth-grade social studies class in Elk Grove.

CalPERS To Sell All Tobacco Stocks

December 20, 2016

(AP) - The nation's largest public pension system, CalPERS, is giving up tobacco.

Local Hookah Lounge Owner Grapples With California's New Tobacco Laws

June 13, 2016 | Joanne Serrieh

California tobacco retailers, including hookah lounges, are trying to grapple with a new law that increases the minimum age of purchases to 21 years old. One lounge owner estimates a 35 percent loss in business. But he has a game plan.

State Government

Californians Must Be 21 Or Older to Purchase Tobacco

June 9, 2016 | Ja'Nel Johnson

Californians must now be 21 or older to buy tobacco products.

California's Minimum Age To Purchase Tobacco Products Is Now 21

June 8, 2016 | Ben Adler

Starting June 8, you must be 21 years old to purchase tobacco products in California. A new law signed by Governor Jerry Brown last month raises the tobacco age from 18 to 21.

California Pension Fund Restarts Tobacco Divestment Study

May 16, 2016

(AP) — The nation's largest public pension system has decided to press ahead with a study of whether to reinvest in tobacco stocks after going back and forth on the issue last month.

Insight With Vicki Gonzalez

Capitol Chat

May 6, 2016

For this week’s Capitol Chat, we check in with POLITICO’s Carla Marinucci to talk about Gov. Jerry Brown signing several tobacco regulation bills, and more California political news.