El Centro extends moratorium on new tobacco retailers through April 2026

El Centro — The City Council voted 5-0 on May 20 to adopt Ordinance No. 25-03, an urgency ordinance extending a moratorium on the opening or expansion of tobacco retail shops through April 7, 2026.

Council members said the extension will give staff time to study options such as zoning changes, buffers and other regulatory tools to address community concerns about concentrations of tobacco retailers and related loitering and nuisance activity.

The council adopted the original urgency ordinance on April 8, 2025 for 45 days. Angel Hernandez, community development director, told the council the extension would add “another 10 months and 15 days up to 04/07/2026” to allow staff to evaluate potential permanent controls and return to the council with recommendations.

Hernandez said the moratorium blocks new openings or expansions but does not force existing, properly permitted tobacco retailers to close. He told the council the ordinance requires a four-fifths vote to remain in effect; the council’s 5-0 vote met that threshold.

During the public hearing, resident Peter Rodriguez questioned the photographic evidence included in the staff packet and said one pictured storefront was a vape shop that “doesn’t sell any tobacco,” arguing that the materials overstated conditions in downtown. Rodriguez recommended the city coordinate with the county about the nearby methadone clinic, saying that clinic, not every storefront, was the primary source of the gatherings downtown.

Business owner Danley, who said he operates Peacekeeper’s Last Shop at 541 Main Street, told the council his store was wrongly grouped with problem locations after an online story published a photograph of his storefront. “We do not sell any tobacco products,” Danley said. “We don’t allow any loitering. We clean up. It bothers me to know that I'm putting in all this hard work just to be lumped in with the couple of bad seeds.”

Council members weighing the evidence asked whether the short initial moratorium was sufficient to gather police and code-enforcement data. One council member noted calls for service appeared “sporadic” across several streets, including Main, Fifth and Ross, and asked staff whether a longer period would produce a measurable change. Hernandez and staff said the purpose of the extension is to collect and analyze data and to develop potential regulations — for example buffers near sensitive uses, setbacks, or anti-loitering requirements — and to consult with business owners before returning with formal proposals.

The council motion to adopt the ordinance was made and seconded on the record; the adopted ordinance extends the emergency moratorium that prevents the approval of new tobacco retailers or expansions while the city studies permanent controls.

At a glance: Ordinance No. 25-03 — Urgency ordinance extending moratorium on new tobacco retail shops to April 7, 2026; adopted 5-0.

Next steps: City staff will study zoning and regulatory options, consult with stakeholders and return with recommended language and implementation steps before the moratorium expires.