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Press release from the California Department of Justice:

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the recipients of the California Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Proposition 56 Tobacco Grant Program. The grant recipients are 62 local government agencies located throughout the state, including law enforcement agencies, prosecuting agencies, public health departments, cities, and counties. In total, they will receive $28.5 million to support their efforts to reduce illegal tobacco sales to underage youth. This year’s funding prioritized retail enforcement and education as part of Attorney General Bonta’s commitment to fighting the illegal sales and marketing of tobacco products to minors. Funded activities include “flavor ban” enforcement efforts, minor decoy operations, shoulder tap operations, prosecution, tobacco retail license inspections, retailer education programs, task force coordination, training for officers on tobacco laws and ordinances, monitoring retailer compliance, and more.

“The sale of tobacco products to underage youth remains a serious problem. For almost a decade, Proposition 56 has provided much-needed funding to address that challenge,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The grant recipients we have selected this year are committed to both holding accountable those who break the law and ensuring a healthier, safer future for the next generation. I’m proud to support and partner with these local government agencies.”

“The Fresno County Department of Public Health looks forward to working with the California Department of Justice to further protect the health and safety of our residents,” said Joe Prado, Director, Fresno County Department of Public Health.

“Receiving the Tobacco Grant is an important step in strengthening our community’s commitment to protecting youth,” said Brian Stephens, Eureka Police Chief. “The Eureka Police Department is proud to partner with the California Department of Justice to ensure local retailers follow the law and prevent access to tobacco products by minors. This collaboration reinforces our dedication to education, compliance, and the long-term health of our community’s young people.”

“Recognizing the dangers of tobacco use by children, the El Cajon Police Department is proud to partner with the California Department of Justice in accepting this grant,” said Jeremiah Larson, El Cajon Police Department Chief of Police. “This collaboration strengthens our commitment to preventing underage tobacco access and increasing awareness throughout our community and among local businesses.”

“The City of Sacramento Code Enforcement Division is honored to be selected, through this highly competitive process, for 2025/26 California Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program,” said Peter Lemos, Code and Housing Enforcement Chief, the City of Sacramento. “We sincerely thank the CA DOJ for reviewing and selecting our application, and for recognizing the need within our community. This funding will strengthen our ability to expand our tobacco enforcement efforts and enhance public health and safety within the City of Sacramento.”

“This grant is more than funding, it’s a commitment to protecting our neighborhoods,” said Jeremy Profitt, Police Support Manager, the City of Fairfield. “Through it, we will strengthen quality of life, reduce crime, and cut down on the flow of tobacco products that target our youth and underserved communities.”

“San Joaquin County Public Health Services is fortunate to receive this grant as an opportunity both to address the need to protect the community from illegal sales of commercial tobacco and to promote collaboration among our law enforcement agencies to create a meaningful impact on community safety and public health,” said Vince Nallas, Public Health Educator/Smoking & Tobacco Prevention Program (STOPP) Project Coordinator, San Joaquin County Public Health Services.

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the City of South El Monte. This recognition reflects our steadfast commitment to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our residents, especially our youth. Preventing the sale of and accessibility to tobacco products in our community has been a priority and we will continue to advance policies that promote a healthier, safe future for all families,” said Gloria Olmos, Mayor of South El Monte. “I am grateful to our community partners, city staff, and colleagues who have supported these efforts. Together, we are creating a stronger more resilient South El Monte.”

“The City of Orange Code Enforcement Division is grateful and excited to receive its first tobacco grant, which will help prevent illegal sales to minors and reduce the availability of unlawful smoking devices and tobacco products,” said Rafael Perez, Code Compliance Manager, the City of Orange.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Bonta reminded tobacco manufacturers and importers that, pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 3218 (Wood, 2024), the Attorney General’s Office is required to establish a Unflavored Tobacco List (UTL), a list of unflavored tobacco products that are lawful for sale in California. To be considered for the initial publication of the UTL, tobacco manufacturers and importers were required to submit completed applications by October 9, 2025. The Attorney General will publish the UTL by December 31, 2025.

Tobacco use is the number one preventable killer in the United States. Smoking-related illness accounts for approximately 40,000 deaths annually in California. Nicotine, a key component of cigarettes and most e-cigarettes, is highly addictive and harmful to the developing brains of children and young adults.

DOJ’s Tobacco Grant Program aims to reduce childhood addiction to tobacco products by, among other things, supporting local partners that:

• Enforce the statewide retail flavor ban and similar local retail flavor ordinances.
• Prosecute and penalize retailers who violate statewide and local tobacco laws, including those who sell or market tobacco products to youth under the age of 21, including over the internet.
• Conduct retail inspections to ensure compliance.

The program is funded by Proposition 56, the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016. With this year’s awards, the Tobacco Grant Program has made over 540 grant awards and distributed over $240 million in funding to local agencies through a competitive process.