Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that the California Department of Justice is now accepting proposals for the 2025-2026 Tobacco Grant Program. This initiative will distribute approximately $28.5 million to eligible local agencies across California. The program's aim is to reduce illegal tobacco product sales to young people, including e-cigarettes. The grant is available to any local public agency in California with the authority to enforce tobacco-related state laws or local ordinances. Eligible entities include police departments, city attorneys, public health departments, and school districts. More information is available on [oag.ca.gov/tobaccogrants](http://oag.ca.gov/tobaccogrants). A guidance webinar will be held on April 30 at 10:00 AM PT.

Attorney General Bonta stated, “At the California Department of Justice, we are committed to protecting our youth from the dangers posed by tobacco products. The reality is that, especially in recent years, companies have been aggressively going after our young people and attempting to turn as many of them as possible into regular customers.”

The grant program supports local enforcement of tobacco laws and aims to reduce youth addiction by enforcing statewide flavor bans and local ordinances, prosecuting retailers who sell tobacco products to those under 21, and conducting retail inspections. This program is funded by Proposition 56, also known as the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016. Since its inception, the program has allocated approximately $212 million through competitive grants to around 470 grantees.

Attorney General Bonta has been proactive in combating tobacco sales to minors. He announced lawsuits against Flumgio Technology Inc., Berkeley Int’l Business Crew, and their founder, for marketing e-cigarettes illegally under the California retail flavor ban. Additional legal actions were taken against two California e-cigarette retailers, Ejuicesteals and E-juice Vapor, Inc., for improper remote sales practices. Furthermore, Assembly Bill 3218, which was sponsored by Bonta to aid the implementation of the flavored tobacco ban, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom last year.