San Jose is poised to enact a temporary moratorium to block the establishment of new tobacco shops throughout the city as officials draw up a long-term plan to regulate such businesses.
The San Jose City Council is set to consider a measure Tuesday that would halt the issuance of new licenses for local tobacco businesses — including retailers, smoke shops and smoking lounges — for as long as two years. It’s a response to complaints that some local shops have become avenues for the illicit sale of controlled substances, including to minors.
Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who introduced the moratorium, said these problems have taken a disproportionate toll on his own District 5, which encompasses the predominantly Latino neighborhoods of East San Jose. The district includes an especially high concentration of smoke shops — nearly seven per square mile, according to a countywide assessment conducted earlier this year. That’s twice as high as the rest of Santa Clara County…