By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Public Safety officers, assisted by nine high-school students, cited 15 Sunnyvale businesses for illegally selling cigarettes to minors during a Nov. 29 bust.
The group visited 73 stores during the operation, in which students attempted to purchase or purchased packages of cigarettes without proper identification. It is illegal for minors under the age of 18 to purchase cigarettes.
The 15 stores make up 20.5 percent of the stores visited, an increase of just over 5 percent from the previous bust. During the Aug. 8 cigarette bust, Public Safety officers cited 13 out of 85 stores, or 15 percent, for selling cigarettes to minors.
Officer Jeremy Watney explained the percentage increase in stores selling cigarettes to minors by pointing out that last time Public Safety issued warnings to stores three days prior to the bust.
"I think [20.5 percent] is still really good, especially without a warning notice. San Jose started out at 40 percent with their program. We're pleased with the results because it could have been a lot worse," he said.
Watney said supermarkets, gas stations and convenience stores were among the businesses that sold cigarettes to minors.
Seven students from Fremont High School and two students from Homestead High School volunteered for the project. Each teenager is involved with Teen Activists for Community Change and Leadership Education.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, Wed., December 6, 1995.
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