On Tuesday afternoon, four Cuban goombahs were halfway into the third round of their daily dominoes game at Macabi Cigar Factory. Heli Montoto slammed one of the white pieces on the table and taunted his partner, Jacinto Perez, “Put on your batteries, man.” The two had already lost two games to Adrian Lopez and Jorge Azze, two other middle-aged, tanned exiles with huge cell phone holsters on their belts. Earlier in the day, El Nuevo ... Jump to full article >>

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Illegal sales of tobacco to minors increased in some areas of Santa Barbara County in 2009, but the number decreased significantly in the city of Santa Barbara, according to data released Tuesday by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Guadalupe was the only city in the county that didn’t sell any tobacco to a minor during undercover buy operations last year. Illegal sales increased in Goleta, Buellton, Lompoc, Solvang and unincor ... Jump to full article >>

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Cuba seeks to pitch famous cigars beyond male base With anti-smoking laws and the global recession causing sales to fall, Cuba wants to develop a largely untapped market for its famous cigars — women. Habanos S.A. executives said on Monday sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 ... Jump to full article >>

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Gov. Bill Richardson said Tuesday he will call a special session of the Legislature next week if lawmakers fail to agree on a state budget before adjourning on Thursday but there’s still time to reach a compromise on spending and tax increases. The Democratic governor said lawmakers should consider a small increase in New Mexico’s gross receipts tax — perhaps one-eighth or one-quarter of a cent — along with a tax on junk f ... Jump to full article >>

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THE LOCAL arm of cigarette maker Philip Morris International expects sales to the domestic market to grow by 2%-4% this year, better than the flat performance in 2009. But it warned that if the Finance department pushes through with a new system to track tax payments, industry-wide sales might fall further, after recording a 10%-15% decline last year. “I’m hoping this year will be better. We will grow in line with the industry … which w ... Jump to full article >>

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Pollsters in California say some suburban women support legalizing marijuana because they believe their adult children will be safer. Backers of the Tax and Regulate Initiative plan to submit their petitions to the secretary of state this month, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. They say they have more than 630,000 signatures, far more than the number needed to get the initiative on the ballot. The measure would allow local governments to tax ... Jump to full article >>

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