Redondo Beach council moves ahead with stricter draft smoke-shop rules, plans Nov. 18 ordinance reading

The Redondo Beach City Council on Oct. 21 directed staff to return Nov. 18 with final ordinance language tightening regulations for smoke shops and tobacco retailing.

Director of Community Development Mark Weiner described the draft as a package of changes that would require smoke shops to obtain conditional use permits, limit new smoke shops by a cap and create tighter limits on how tobacco and related products are displayed in other retail stores. “The draft includes a cap on the allowed number of smoke shops,” Weiner said, laying out a proposal that treats existing shops as legal nonconforming uses with a five‑year amortization period before the cap is enforced.

Under the draft presented to council, the city would eventually limit smoke-shop locations to five in the city. Staff said there are about 16 existing stores identified as smoke shops. The earlier draft had allowed up to 10 existing nonconforming locations; council directed staff to lower the initial cap to five and to allow existing businesses a five‑year transition period so owners could recoup investments and pursue a conditional use permit if they wished to continue operating.

Staff also described a new approach to ancillary sales in grocery, convenience and pharmacy stores: tobacco wall displays would be limited to roughly 20–50 square feet and floor space used for tobacco would be limited to 1 percent of gross floor area (the earlier draft used a 2 percent threshold). The development director said the ordinance would give the community development director discretion to require reductions or permit limited exceptions if the tobacco sales were clearly ancillary to a different primary retail use.

Council members and the city attorney discussed whether vape and smoking paraphernalia rules could be interpreted to include cannabis retailers. Several council members asked staff to make clear in the draft that smoke-shop rules would be distinct from any future cannabis retail permitting, but that enforcement tools should be available if a business sold cannabis or illegal products. The draft already includes the proposed prohibition: no smoke shops would be allowed to sell cannabis or cannabinoid products, nitrous oxide or products prohibited by law.

Councilmembers raised enforcement and youth protection concerns. Council member Obagi and others asked whether minors should be prohibited from entering smoke shops and asked staff to investigate whether the city could lawfully bar minors from entering such stores or otherwise prevent non-tobacco purchases that might attract underage customers. Staff said the ordinance already requires signage and point-of-sale ID checks and that sales of tobacco to minors would remain prohibited; the city attorney advised the council about legal limits and enforcement options.

Several public speakers urged stricter action. Resident Steve Hague recommended eliminating smoke shops entirely; Jim Mueller and Melissa Deshont (a District 1 resident and public-health advocate) urged strong restrictions and wider buffers from schools. The council voted to send the item back for first reading on Nov. 18 with direction to strengthen language on synthetic/flavored products, clarify the treatment of cannabis retailers and refine enforcement options.