East County Cities Score Poorly on Tobacco Report Card

East Contra Costa Cities did not receive a good report card grade from the State of Tobacco Control 2014 based off a review of county and municipal codes. All cities, minus unincorporated Contra Costa received an F grade.

According to the study, more than 60% of the 330 cities and counties in California received an F grade. Just 18 cities received an A grade.

The State of Tobacco Control 2014 – California Local Grades report is based on a review of county and municipal codes in three key areas —smokefree outdoor air, smokefree multi-unit housing and reducing tobacco sales; and averaged for one Overall Tobacco Control grade. Click here to

Here is a look at East Contra Costa and how they scored:

• Antioch – F
• Brentwood – F
• Oakley – F
• Pittsburg – F

As a whole, Contra Costa County went from an F last year to a C this year.  (Click the image below to enlarge to see Contra Costa Grades)

In terms of California, the State received an F Grade. Here is a breakdown of their ratings:

• Tobaaco Prevention – F
• Smokefree Air – A
• Cigarette Tax – D
• Cessation Coverage – F

The California State Summary stared that thirty states and the District of Columbia have cigarette tax rates of $1.00 per pack or higher, and California has not raised its tobacco tax since 1998.

On the legislative front, the American Lung Association in California sponsored Assembly Bill 746 (Mark Levine, D-San Rafael), which would have prohibited smoking in apartment buildings and condominiums throughout California. Based on the growing momentum these policies are experiencing at the local level, this bill sought to protect the 5 million Californians in multi-family homes from drifting secondhand smoke.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT

40 CITIES AND COUNTIES RAISED THEIR GRADES IN 2013

In 2013, 40 municipalities adopted local ordinances in at least one of the three categories included in the State of Tobacco Control 2014 – California Local Grades report. Elected officials in these cities and counties demonstrated strong leadership in adopting policies to protect their residents and improve the health of their communities. Policies passed in 2013 include 14 ordinances to prohibit smoking in multi-unit housing, 30 ordinances to restrict smoking in outdoor areas and seven ordinances to require tobacco retailers to obtain a license to sell tobacco products. See the “Cities and Counties on the Rise” section of the report (page 9) for the full list of municipalities that passed policies in 2013.

SEVEN CITIES IMPROVED THEIR GRADE FROM AN F TO AN A IN AT LEAST ONE POLICY CATEGORY

The cities of Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carpinteria, Hillsborough, Lafayette, and Oroville improved their grade from an F to an A in at least one category. Two additional cities, Daly City and Walnut Creek, improved from an F to an A in two categories, Smokefree Outdoor Air and Smokefree Housing, resulting in overall B grades. These cities have demonstrated strong leadership by passing strong tobacco control ordinances.

ONE CITY IMPROVED ITS OVERALL GRADE TO AN A

Berkeley is the only city this year to be added to the list of cities and counties that receive an overall A grade. There are now 18 communities in California that receive an Overall Tobacco Control grade of A. These municipalities represent a diverse mix of communities in terms of income, size, and racial diversity. These 15 cities and three counties have demonstrated that there is public support and political will for strong tobacco control policies in all types of communities and have set a high bar for others to follow. See the “Top of the Class” section of the report (page 6) for more information on these cities and counties.

FOUR CITIES RAISED THEIR OVERALL GRADE TO A B

This year, four cities passed policies to raise their overall grade to B. Carpinteria, Daly City, Petaluma and Walnut Creek all passed policies that protect the citizens in their communities. Although these cities still have the opportunity to further improve the health of their residents, they have taken bold steps to ensure that the laws they have implemented are as strong as possible.

NUMBER OF OVERALL F’S HAS DECREASED

Since this report first started grading local cities and counties in California four years ago, there have been major policy accomplishments across the state. Specifically, the number of communities with an overall A grade has doubled (from 9 in 2010 to 18 today). The number of A’s in each policy area has increased as well.

The grade category that has seen the most change since this report was first published in 2010 is the decrease in the number of communities with an overall F grade (down by 29), as more cities and counties take steps to protect their residents.

NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF ALL MUNICIPALITIES STILL RECEIVE AN F GRADE

Despite the fact that many cities and counties adopted strong tobacco control policies this past year, a majority of cities and counties in California still fail to protect their residents from the dangers of tobacco use. In total, 330 municipalities (61 percent of all municipalities) receive an F for their Overall Tobacco Control grade.

Executive Summary
http://www.lung.org/associations/states/california/assets/pdfs/sotc-2014/sotc-2014-executive-summary.pdf

California State Summary
http://www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org/state-grades/california/highlights.html

Contra Costa Grades
http://www.lung.org/associations/states/california/assets/pdfs/sotc-2014-county-grades/contra-costa-county.pdf

Methodology
http://www.lung.org/associations/states/california/assets/pdfs/sotc-2014/sotc-2014-local-grading.pdf