A & B Cattle Co. of Nevada, Inc. v. City of Escondido

192 Cal. App. 3d 1032, 238 Cal. Rptr. 580, 1987 Cal. App. LEXIS 1834
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 17, 1987
DocketD004807
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 192 Cal. App. 3d 1032 (A & B Cattle Co. of Nevada, Inc. v. City of Escondido) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
A & B Cattle Co. of Nevada, Inc. v. City of Escondido, 192 Cal. App. 3d 1032, 238 Cal. Rptr. 580, 1987 Cal. App. LEXIS 1834 (Cal. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

Opinion

WORK, J.

City of Escondido (City) appeals an order granting judgment on the pleadings permanently enjoining it from enforcing a licensing ordinance regulating the sale of materials designed or marketed for use with illegal drugs (Escondido Municipal Code (EMC), § 16-190). We affirm because state law (Health & Saf. Code, 1 §§ 11364.7, 11014.5) has preempted this regulatory field.

Factual and Procedural Background

On April 28, 1982, the City enacted Ordinance No. 82-41, adding section 16-190 to the EMC, 2 declaring it “unlawful for any person or persons as *1036 principal, clerk, agent or servant to sell any items, effect, paraphernalia, accessory or thing which is designed or marketed for use with illegal drugs, as defined by the laws of the State of California, without obtaining a license therefor.” (EMC, § 16-190, subd. (a).) The ordinance requires applications for this license to be accompanied by affidavits by applicant and each employee authorized to sell such items verifying they have never been convicted of a drug-related offense. The ordinance prohibits the sale or giving of the items described in subdivision (a) to any minor, while requiring the maintenance of detailed records pertaining to every sale of such items. A violation of any provision of EMC section 16-190 is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both.

Later in 1982, the Legislature enacted Senate Bill No. 341, effective January 1, 1983, adding sections 11014.5 and 11364.7. (Stats. 1982, ch. 1278, §§ 1, 2 respectively, pp. 4725-4728.) Section 11014.5 defines “drug paraphernalia” 3 and establishes criteria for courts to consider when deter *1037 mining what constitutes drug paraphernalia. Section 11364.7 makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to deliver, furnish, transfer, possess, manufacture with intent to deliver, furnish, or transfer drug paraphernalia; provides those who are over 18 years of age and violate these provisions by delivering, furnishing or transferring paraphernalia to a minor at least 3 years their junior may be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment of not more than 1 year, or both; declares the violation of its provisions is cause to revoke any business or liquor license; and, specifies that all drug paraphernalia defined by section 11014.5 is subject to forfeiture and seizure by any peace officer. 4

Four years after enacting its drug paraphernalia ordinance, the City decided to begin enforcing it. The City “alerted” A&B Cattle Company of Nevada, Inc. (A&B), which operates the F Street Bookstore, of its intention. Forewarned, A&B obtained an injunction preventing enforcement of the ordinance on the ground it is- preempted by sections 11014.5 and 11364.7. 5

*1038 Governing Law on Preemption

“Under the police power granted by the Constitution, counties and cities have plenary authority to govern, subject only to the limitation that they exercise this power within their territorial limits and subordinate to state law.” (Candid Enterprises, Inc. v. Grossmont Union High School Dist. (1985) 39 Cal.3d 878, 885 [218 Cal.Rptr. 303, 705 P.2d 876].) More specifically, article XI, section 7 of the California Constitution provides: “A county or city may make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary, and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws.” Where local legislation conflicts with general law, it is void. (Cohen v. Board of Supervisors (1985) 40 Cal.3d 277, 290 [219 Cal.Rptr. 467, 707 P.2d 840]; People ex rel. Deukmejian v. County of Mendocino (1984) 36 Cal.3d 476, 484 [204 Cal.Rptr. 897, 683 P.2d 1150]; Lancaster v. Municipal Court (1972) 6 Cal.3d 805, 807 [100 Cal.Rptr. 609, 494 P.2d 681].) “Apart from this limitation, the ‘police power [of a county or city] under this provision ... is as broad as the police power exercisable by the Legislature itself.’ ” (Candid Enterprises, Inc., v. Grossmont Union High School Dist., supra, 39 Cal.3d at p. 885, quoting Birkenfeld v. City of Berkeley (1976) 17 Cal.3d 129, 140 [130 Cal.Rptr. 465, 550 P.2d 1001].)

A local legislative enactment will be invalidated when it duplicates, contradicts, or infringes upon an area completely occupied by general law, either expressly or by legislative implication. Moreover, where the subject matter of the local legislation has been entirely occupied by state general law, supplementary or complementary local legislation, even pertaining to matters otherwise properly characterized as municipal in character, is prohibited. (Cohen v. Board of Supervisors, supra, 40 Cal.3d at pp. 290-291; People ex rel. Deukmejian v. County of Mendocino, supra, 36 Cal.3d at p. 484; Lancaster v. Municipal Court, supra, 6 Cal.3d at pp. 807-808.)

State Law has Preempted the Regulatory Field Regarding Drug Paraphernalia to the Exclusion of Local Legislation

Preliminarily, we note the Legislature has not expressly prohibited local regulations within its statutory scheme governing the manufacture *1039 and distribution of drug paraphernalia. Moreover, no state law appears to explicitly regulate the licensing of drug paraphernalia retailers. However, a plain reading of these enactments shows each seeks to regulate the sale and distribution of paraphernalia designed or marketed for use with illegal drugs by imposing penal sanctions. Because the only “illegal” drugs are those so designated by state law and both the City and state purport to regulate the sale of identical materials, the enactments are identical in purpose. The enactments are duplicative because each makes it unlawful to distribute drug paraphernalia to minors.

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192 Cal. App. 3d 1032, 238 Cal. Rptr. 580, 1987 Cal. App. LEXIS 1834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/a-b-cattle-co-of-nevada-inc-v-city-of-escondido-calctapp-1987.