The Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) protects public health through the permitting and inspections of all retail food facilities, recreational health (public pools and spas), body art facilities and substandard housing.

Retail Food Program

The food program is responsible for the enforcement of the California Retail Food Code and the implementation of our food facility color-coded placard program. All retail food facilities including but not limited to restaurants, bars, markets, mobile food facilities and community events are permitted and inspected by our Environmental Health Specialists. Additionally, we provide food safety education and conduct complaint investigations.

Our food facility inspections are designed to minimize the occurrence of the five most critical risk factors for foodborne illness: food from unsafe sources; inadequate cooking temperatures; improper holding temperatures; contaminated equipment; poor employee hygiene.

CPU has approximately 1,000 retail food facilities and conducts 2,000 plus routine health inspections per year.

Recreational Health Program

The Recreational Health Program is responsible for the enforcement of state and local health codes to ensure all public swimming pools and spas are maintained in a safe and healthful manner. Public pools and spas are licensed and inspected by Environmental Health Specialists in order to prevent the occurrence of diseases related to pathogenic organisms such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and E. coli and injuries like slipping, falling, and accidental entrapment. CPU has approximately 350 public pools and spas in operation at apartments, hotels, and health clubs.

Body Art Program

The Body Art Program is responsible for enforcing the California Safe Body Art Act in order to protect both body art practitioners and clients from the transmission of infectious diseases. Facilities that perform body art such as tattooing, permanent cosmetics, body piercing, and branding are permitted and inspected by Environmental Health Specialists. In addition to permitting body art facilities, CPU also registers all body art practitioners. CPU has approximately 40 registered and permitted in the program.

Housing Program

The Housing Program helps protect occupant health and safety through complaint response inspections to substandard housing conditions.