Calabasas no smoking law begins next month
By Michael Picarella [email protected] [/p]
The new Calabasas secondhand smoke ordinance, which would prohibitsmoking in all public areas of the city including parks, sidewalks andoutdoor businesses, will take effect by the middle of March, cityofficials said. [/p]Final passage of the ordinance is expected at the city council's Feb. 15 meeting. [/p]At its Feb. 1 meeting the council outlined certain exceptions to the law. [/p]Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Health, theAmerican Heart Association, the American Lung Association, HealthierSolutions, Inc., Smoke-Free Air for Everyone and the Coalition for aTobacco-Free Los Angeles expressed strong support for the new law. Ofthe 17 public speakers at the meeting, all but one supported theordinance. [/p]Last month, California became the first state to declare second-hand tobacco smoke a toxic air pollutant. [/p]". . .The California Air Resources Board, which is the agency whichregulates air quality in California, has adopted a regulation to treatsecondhand smoke as a toxic pollutant of the air, like the kinds ofthings that come out of petroleum smoke stacks and out of the tailpipesof cars," said Michael Colantuono, Calabasas city attorney. "Thatdecision is the first time a state regulatory agency of any state inthe nation has reached that conclusion. [/p]The city council agreed to allow smoking in the following areas: [/p]•Private residential property, other than housing used as a childcareor health care facility when employees, children or patients arepresent [/p]•Up to 20 percent of guest rooms in any hotel or motel [/p]•Designated smoking "outposts" in shopping mall common areas that areat least five feet away from any doorway or opening that leads to anenclosed area. [/p]"I think the reason that (city) staff recommended a relatively smallnumber (of outposts) in this instance is because (the city is) going tobe dealing with a variety of commercial property: some large, somesmall, some that are big rectangles, some that have odder shapes,"Colantuono said. "We wanted to have the ability to have at least onedesignated space on each commercial property that meets therequirements. The feeling was that if you don't provide an outlet, thenpeople would simply defy the ordinance." [/p]The city said it would relax the ban at times when non-smokers aren't present in a public area. [/p] Business owners will be responsible for ensuring that all employees and patrons comply with the new law. [/p]Individual citizens can report offenders to the city and officials willdetermine how to handle fines on a case-by-case basis, said TonyCoroalles, Calabasas city manager. [/p]To view the second-hand smoke ordinance, visit www.cityofcalabasas.com.
