21 May Pittsburg Tightens Alcohol, Cannabis, Tobacco Rules

“This is what lawmaking is about. It’s putting our best effort forward, and if there are tweaks or modifications we have to make in the future, we can do that based on what we see in practice,” said Pittsburg City Council member Juan Banales, right, with Mayor Jelani Killings. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

A recent report from the American Lung Association found that tobacco regulations in Pittsburg are some of the most lax in Contra Costa County. That’s about to change. 

The Pittsburg City Council on Monday unanimously approved a number of changes to tobacco, cannabis and alcohol regulations that put the city on track to have rules on par with most cities in the county. 

The regulations, which would go into effect Jan. 1, 2026, include establishing smoke-free “buffer zones,” requiring all retailers to be licensed, and banning smoking in multi-unit residences and new retailers within 600 feet of youth-oriented places. 

“When they do go into effect, these policies give us a little more teeth and authority,” said John Funderburg, assistant director of community and economic development. 

The regulations are the result of a multi-year process of the Creating Healthy Communities project to create safe environments for community members and limit underage use of tobacco and alcohol products. 

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Pittsburg’s tobacco regulations were found to be only stricter than those in Brentwood in the county, according to the 2025 American Lung Association report, and similar to those in Antioch and Moraga. El Cerrito, Richmond and unincorporated areas had the strictest tobacco regulations. 

The rankings are based on an analysis of local policies regulating smoke-free housing and outdoor air, the sale of tobacco products, and restrictions on flavored tobacco products. 

Contra Costa has some of the tougher tobacco regulations in the state, with only Alameda County having more in the Bay Area, but Pittsburg has for years lagged behind. Since 2021, Antioch has slowly increased some restrictions while Pittsburg remained the same. 

Current regulations in the city, for example, only require tobacco retailers to get a license if they have previously violated a law related to the sale or distribution of tobacco. 

Proponents of the tougher regulations say requirements like those put youth at a greater risk of using tobacco products than other cities in the county. 

Tobacco retailers in the city were the second most likely in the county to sell tobacco products to youth, according to the Contra Costa Tobacco Prevention Project within Contra Costa Health. At least nine out of the 30 retailers in the city limits sold to minors. 

Mayra Lopez, manager of the project, said the changes to existing regulations are a step forward, but said they won’t be as effective as keeping youth away from tobacco products because some of the new rules exempt existing retailers from them. 

“Youth will still have access to cheap cigarillos and vaping devices and will still remain an issue unless uniformity in the proposed regulations is equitably applied across all retailers,” she said.

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Mayor Jelani Killings and council member Juan Banales acknowledged that the changes might not cover everything the regulations should.

“I’m sure, like most things, we haven’t covered every single scenario, but this is what lawmaking is about,” said Banales. “It’s putting our best effort forward, and if there are tweaks or modifications we have to make in the future, we can do that based on what we see in practice.” 

The regulations also place proximity limits on alcohol retailers and performance standards on cannabis retailers. 

Council members will approve the second reading of the regulation changes at a later meeting. 

Officials honor former supervisor Federal D. Glover

Pittsburg officials honored former Contra Costa Supervisor Federal D. Glover, a Pittsburg native whose political career began on the Pittsburg City Council, following his death Sunday. 

“The community has a heavy heart right now,” said Killings at Monday’s meeting. “We lost a true community hero, champion, son of Pittsburg, a mentor to a lot of us who are up here, and someone who is pretty much synonymous with the city of Pittsburg and Contra Costa County for about the past 30 years.” 

Glover, the county’s first Black supervisor, died at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center at the age of 69. 

City officials last honored Glover in January for his contributions to the city, presenting him with the key to the city. 

Glover retired from the Board of Supervisors in 2024 after more than two decades in the role. He backed his successor, Shanelle Scales-Preston, who is the board’s first Black woman. 

“He embodied the best of what Pittsburg stands for: resilience, humility, and a commitment to lifting others as he climbed,” Scales-Preston, the former mayor of Pittsburg, said in a statement. 

Glover told the Pulse in 2024 that he saw the city as a “big family.” “We fight amongst ourselves, but when we leave, it’s like leaving home,” he said then. 

No memorial plans have been announced.