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Council adopts urgency ordinance imposing 45‑day moratorium on new smoke shops
Summary
Redondo Beach adopted an urgency ordinance imposing a temporary moratorium on new "smoke shops," citing public health and youth exposure concerns; staff will return with a permanent ordinance for planning commission review and a public hearing on an extension.
The Redondo Beach City Council adopted an interim urgency ordinance banning development of new smoke shops in the city for an initial 45‑day period, citing public health, youth exposure and recent regulatory developments at the state level.
City staff presented the ordinance as a short‑term measure while the city drafts a permanent ordinance to regulate smoke shops more effectively. The moratorium takes effect immediately and requires a four‑fifths vote; the council approved the urgency ordinance unanimously.
Staff said the permanent ordinance will be routed to the Planning Commission before returning to the council. If the council decides to extend the moratorium while the new regulations are drafted, the extension hearing will be a fully noticed public hearing. During council discussion members asked whether the moratorium should specify non‑tobacco or synthetic products; staff noted the draft ordinance already references illegal products and state regulatory actions that informed the findings.
A member of the public, Jonathan Svetco, addressed the council in support of strong local regulation and said past statewide bills had created regulatory gaps for hemp‑derived intoxicants. The council’s urgency vote will give staff time to draft a comprehensive permanent ordinance and hold public hearings, staff said.
