[GPSCC-chat] Proposed: SC Greens to support the Tri-cityhealth.org initiative to "Kick Big Tobacco Out of Our Bars"

[Spencer Graves]

Hello, All:


The agenda for tomorrow's meeting includes a proposal to endorse an 
initiative to ask the San José City Council to support an ordinance 
banning big tobacco from distributing cheap cigarettes at bars -- and to 
place a statement to the effect on our web site. I expect this will be a 
"no brainer".


However, I thought you might like to know about this campaign so those 
of you who live in San José can contact your City Council representative 
about this.


BACKGROUND:

Every week, representatives of tobacco companies visit many of San 
Jose’s bars, where they offer $1 packs of cigarettes and other major 
discounts that hook our young people and make it harder to quit. The 
Butt Out of Our Bars Campaign is working to pass an ordinance that would 
add San Jose to the list of other Bay Area cities (San Francisco, 
Oakland, Hayward, Fremont and many others) that have passed laws keeping 
Big Tobacco out of their bars.
Tobacco companies know that young people especially are “price 
sensitive,” meaning that they are more likely to smoke and less likely 
to quit if they can get super cheap cigarettes. Big Tobacco is willing 
to sell their product for less now so they can addict more customers for 
life.
This may seem like a “no brainer” but Mayor Reed and the Council will 
not take action unless they know that the community cares about this 
blatant targeting of our young people. Please help us convince the City 
to protect the health of San Jose’s youth!
The most important people to contact right now are the members of the 
Rules Committee, which may be considering our proposal in late May. 
Please contact them and tell them to “Keep Big Tobacco representatives 
and their $1 cigarette pack offers away from our young adults in the bars.”
Thanks for helping!

Rules Committee Members
Mayor Chuck Reed – (408) 535-4800 -- mayoremail at sanjoseca.gov
Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen (District 7) – (408) 535-4907 -- 
district7 at sanjoseca.gov
Councilmember Pete Constant (District 1) – (408) 535-4901 – 
district1 at sanjoseca.gov
Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio (District 6) – (408) 535-4906 -- 
Pierluigi.Oliverio at sanjoseca.gov
(Alternate) Councilmember Rose Herrera (District 8) – (408) 535-4908 -- 
district8 at sanjoseca.gov


Brian Davis
California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) Coordinator
39184 State Street
Fremont, CA 94538



-- 
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph:  408-655-4567
web:  www.structuremonitoring.com