S. F. studies new cigarette fee
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom thinks smokers should pay what it costs the city to clean up discarded cigarette butts.
Newsom on Tuesday proposed a per-pack fee on cigarettes sold in the city to cover the expense. He said that a review earlier this year showed that tobacco-related trash makes up one-fourth of all the garbage removed from city sidewalks and gutters.
The city is studying how high to set the proposed fee, but a preliminary estimate puts it around 33 cents.
The plan would have to be approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
