There are more than 100 tobacco retailers located less than 1,000 feet from local K-12 schools in Sacramento, and City Council members say that’s too close for comfort – so they are proposing tighter restrictions for retailers to keep kids safe. “Tobacco sales so close to kids in school? It doesn’t seem like its a good match,” City Councilman Kevin McCarty said Tuesday. The new ordinance was initiated by McCarty and Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy in 2010, and it reached the full council for consideration after first being reviewed by both the Law and Legislation committee and the city Planning commission earlier this year. The City Council unanimously passed the ordinance for publication Tue

The rate of Illegal sales of tobacco to minors in Sacramento County remains steady at 16% according to a survey conducted by Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health. The Public Health Division’s Tobacco Education Program conducted its annual Youth Purchase Survey in April by sending under-age student volunteers and adult chaperones to randomly-selected retail outlets in each city and the unincorporated area of Sacramento County. Of the 288 stores surveyed, 16 percent sold tobacco to minors, down from 21.7 percent in 2009 and about the same rate as in 2010. No sales to minors were observed in Rancho Cordova. Of the other areas surveyed: • Isleton had an observ

The Law & Legislation Committee of the Sacramento City Council convened Tuesday to discuss possible policy direction regarding restricting the sale of tobacco products near schools. Joy Patterson, principal planner with the Community Development Department, presented council members with information regarding the city’s current ordinance dealing with tobacco sales, as well as measures adopted in localities around the state. “Several communities in the cities and counties in California did look at this,” Patterson said. “There were at least two communities ... which did adopt (measures) which restricted the sale of tobacco within 1,000 feet of schools.” Sacramento currently requires a no

Cameras flashing, limos, tuxedos and dresses: Thursday night at the Crest Theater, a film premier event will roll out the red carpet for a selection of bright young screenwriters, directors and actors. But there will be no Hollywood A-listers -- in fact, you won't even pay to get into this event showcasing the brightest young filmmakers from Sacramento-area high schools and middle schools. Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Cooperation (CMC) and Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center (SCCSC), the premier will display three different types of films: youth voice stories and intergenerational stories that are both several minutes long, and 30-second anti-tobacco public service a