Scotts Valley, a small city outside of Santa Cruz, is looking to become one of the next cities in California to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, as this week its city council introduced and unanimously passed the first reading of an ordinance that will bring an end of the sale of such products.

The ordinance also includes a ban on smoking or vaping in outdoor dining spaces, as well as requiring that all tobacco retailers be at least 21-years-old and prohibiting all self-service tobacco displays.

The city council must still hold a second reading of the ordinance, which is currently scheduled for June 1. If it passes its second reading, it will go into effect 30 days later.

According to the city council agenda, Scotts Valley is the only one of the four incorporated cities in Santa Cruz County not to have such a ban. The county also has a ban that applies to its unincorporated parts.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.