The Assembly Business and Professions Committee advanced SB 1314 on a divided vote Tuesday after amendments narrowed the bill’s tobacco-retailer buffer to 600 feet around schools and daycare centers.
The bill, carried by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez Menjivar, would bar new tobacco retailers from opening within that distance beginning July 1, 2027, according to the committee’s hearing materials. Committee records show the measure also addresses nitrous oxide and local enforcement.
Supporters described SB 1314 as a youth-protection bill, pointing to tobacco prevention and school-safety concerns. Opponents warned the proposal could function as a de facto ban on future gas stations and create complications for existing retailers and other businesses near the new buffer.
Testimony in the hearing included support from the California District Attorneys Association, the Association of California School Administrators, the City of Los Cerritos and the California State Association of Counties. Opposition came from the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance, the California Distributors Association, the Cigar Association of America, the California Retailers Association and the California Community Pharmacy Coalition.
The committee’s action sends the bill to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Further changes remain possible as the measure moves through the Legislature.