California’s Santa Cruz County said it will begin banning sales of filtered cigarettes in 2027. Officials on Monday called the ban the “first filtered cigarettes sales ban to go into effect in the world,” according to a statement from the County of Santa Cruz.
In October 2024, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted to ban the sale of filtered cigarettes and cigars on Jan. 1, 2027, contingent on two other county jurisdictions passing similar measures. In 2025, two cities approved bans, the city of Santa Cruz on June 24 and the city of Capitola on Sept. 11. The ordinance will now become law in both cities and in unincorporated areas, the Santa Cruz County Board said.
The county and city of Santa Cruz will begin enforcement of their sales bans on Jan. 1, 2027. The city of Capitola will begin on July 1, 2027.
“Santa Cruz County is always at the forefront of making change,” Justin Cummings, who serves on the county board of supervisors for Santa Cruz, said in a statement.
Cummings said this is just the beginning and welcomes other communities to join.
“This policy adds to the legacy of our community standing up to big corporations to protect the health of our residents and our environment.”
The ordinances will help reduce tobacco-filter pollution, lower cleanup costs for community volunteers, local agencies, and taxpayers and support businesses that rely on a clean and healthy environment, the County of Santa Cruz said in a statement.
“Cigarette butts are toxic, they're useless and they're everywhere,“ Manu Koenig, who serves on the county board of supervisors for Santa Cruz, said. “As the guardians of Monterey Bay, we're standing up and telling Big Tobacco, this ends now.”
To support implementation in the unincorporated area and the cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola, Santa Cruz County Public Health’s Tobacco Education and Prevention Program will assist with outreach materials for retailers and community members to educate them on the new policy and timelines for implementation, technical assistance with product transitions and support for enforcement personnel.
The California Fuels & Convenience Alliance (CFCA), which has advocated for the convenience-store industry since 1952 in California, called the ban “misguided.”
“This ordinance unfairly targets and punishes local small businesses like CFCA's convenience-store members who sell these products legally and compliantly,” the statewide trade association that represents the entire downstream fuels supply chain told CSP Daily News on Thurday. “These sales generate significant tax revenue, a portion of which already goes toward cleanup efforts.”
CFCA said that eliminating lawful sales in Santa Cruz will drive consumers to illicit or out-of-jurisdiction markets.
“CFCA supports practical, evidence-based strategies that tackle the litter issue without harming the small local businesses like our members who operate in compliance with the law, contribute tax revenue to cities, and support their communities in many other ways,” CFCA said.
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