City leaders on Tuesday shot down an ordinance that would have increased penalties for tobacco retailers who sell to minors. The proposal would have added a five-day suspension of tobacco sales for the first violation, increased the suspension period for a third violation from 60 days to 90 days an d increased the suspension for a third violation from 120 days to 150 days. It also would have increased the monitoring period for violators from 36 months to 48 months. “We’re asking businesses for perfection and I don’t know if that’s ever going to be possible,” Councilmember Phil Ortiz said. “I think this (would) put an undue burden on businesses.” A large group of local convenience and smoke shop owners attended the council meeting to express their opposition to the proposal, which many described as being too strict. Arkan Somo, a co-founder of the Neighborhood Market Association, said El Cajon’s current penalties have served their purpose and an increase would be hard on local business owners. He asked city leaders, “What message are you giving to these family-owned businesses in your community as they try so hard to comply with the law you enacted?” The city’s current code for violations requires a $2,500 fine for the first violation, an automatic 60-day suspension of tobacco sales and fine for a second violation within any 36-month period and an automatic 120-day suspension and fine for a third violation within a 36-month period and a fine and revocation of the tobacco retail license for a fourth violation. The ordinance was brought up, in part, because city leaders were concerned that paying a fine was not a harsh enough penalty for businesses who sold to minors. The last policy revision took place in 2020, and the number of violations has gone down since. The city reported 24 violations in 2020 and 2021, 23 violations in 2022, 14 violations in 2023, five violations in 2024 and 13 violations in 2025. “The existing policy works, I see no reason to make it tougher,” Councilmember Steve Goble said. El Cajon has stricter policies on the sales of tobacco products compared to most other cities in San Diego County, especially when it comes to underage sales. City leaders had previously debated whether allowing violators to simply pay a fine after getting caught was a steep enough penalty. After lengthy discussions with local business owners, many of whom said the fear of their business being shut down after one violation would be too much, the City Council shot down the measure. It was rejected on a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Gary Kendrick voting no. ...read more read less