On Tuesday, the Palo Alto City Council passed an ordinance that will ban the sale of flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes within the city by a 4-3 vote.
The split vote resulted from opposition from a trio of council members who had sought exemptions for five businesses which sold such products but limited access to adults only, including one business that has been in operation for 85 years. It was a push that was ultimately defeated, as language providing such an exemption was stripped out of the ordinance during previous city council hearings.
The ban is set to go into effect 31 days following its adoption. It comes as California is considering its own ban on flavored tobacco products, as well as just a few weeks after Los Angeles County was sued by three tobacco companies over its ban.
Palo Alto is home to approximately 67,000 residents and is located approximately 33 miles southeast of San Francisco.
