HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY - T. BELTON

Accept California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Tobacco Control Program (TCP) Allocation of $150,000.00 for Quarter 3 and 4 of FY 21/22 and $300,000.00 annually for FY 22/23, FY 23/24 and FY 24/25 (totaling $1,050,000.00) and authorize the HHSA Director to sign the Allocation Agreement and Prospective Payment Invoices on behalf of the County and any amendments or other documents related to that agreement.

SBC FILE NUMBER: 130

Proposition 99 (California Tobacco Tax Initiative), passed in 1989 and Proposition 56, passed in 2016 by California voters, establishing a surtax on sales of tobacco products. Funds derived from the tobacco tax are allocated for specific use purposes, including an allocation to local health departments.  Funds provided to local health departments are to support Local Lead Agency activities intended to address tobacco use prevention. These funds are used to reduce tobacco use in San Benito County through adopting/implementing policies, conducting trainings, establish coalitions, provide technical resources and implement community-based educational activities/presentations in order to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use in our county.   

San Benito County Public Health Services Tobacco Education Program (TEP) serves as the Local Lead Agency (LLA) for tobacco prevention and control efforts countywide.  The major activities of the San Benito County Tobacco Education Program for fiscal years 2021-2025 are: 

•            One jurisdiction in San Benito County (e.g. Hollister) will adopt and implement a policy that eliminates smoking (including burning or heating of tobacco and other plant products, natural or synthetic) in all outdoor recreational and non-recreational public places (including parks, sidewalks, dining, entryways, worksites, event sites, bike lanes/paths, alleys, and parking structures) without designated smoking areas or distances.

•            Develop policy eliminating the sale and/or distribution of any mentholated cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products, and paraphernalia (e.g., smokeless tobacco products, dissolvable tobacco products, flavored premium cigars such as little cigars, cigarillos, hookah tobacco, e-cigarettes, e-hookah, wrappers). The policy will not criminalize the purchase, use, or possession of tobacco products by individuals.

•            Recruit and maintain two coalitions (one adult and one youth) to effectively educate the community about tobacco control issues.

•            Create new partnerships with organizations serving or addressing substance use disorder, oral health, mental health, LGBTQ+, parks and recreation, and/or business sector

•            Implement anti-tobacco joint activities with CBO’s and the healthcare community, co-hosting community events, tobacco control content incorporated into organizations policies, media (website, social media, printed publications, etc.), and/or specific activities for policy, systems, and environmental change collaboration.

•            Conduct a comprehensive array of activities such as: planning with community partners; researching, creating and distributing information packets; making presentations and conducting a training for stakeholders and volunteers; providing technical assistance on policy development, adoption, and implementation; collaborating locally and with statewide groups; providing youth tobacco education, prevention and outreach; working with youth to develop skills; staffing informational booths at community events throughout the county; and writing and releasing media pieces.

Please refer to the attached document Tobacco Education Workplan for more detailed information.   Further, these funds will continue to fund the following positions: 2 FTE Health Education Associates, 1 FTE Health Assistant and .5 Program Manager.