Prosecutors single out supermarket for selling tobacco to minors
DOWNTOWN — Top prosecutors met downtown Wednesday to announce a lawsuit against Safeway Inc., saying the supermarket chain is among the most egregious violators of laws against selling tobacco to youngsters.
The average smoker starts lighting up at age 13, and 44 percent of area retailers near schools sell tobacco to minors, said LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, who filed the lawsuit with Attorney General Bill Lockyer.
According to Delgadillo, Safe-way was targeted because it hasn’t followed the example set by other chains, which have more aggressive training and other programs to restrict employees from selling to minors. Lazy clerks aren’t the main culprit, he added.
“It appears to be part of the corporate culture,” said Delgadillo, who was flanked by Lockyer and Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for LACounty. “Safeway is the one chain, unfortunately, that is just not cooperating.”
Though 38 percent of LA retailers sell tobacco products to minors, 44 percent of retailers within 1,000 feet of schools break the law, said Delgadillo, adding many kids are closer to a violating store than they are to a gym or park.
Safeway was responsible for nearly 30 percent of illegal tobacco sales to minors through March of this year, according to a report from state officials. Its violation
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 17, 2004. Read the original PDF.