Council Bans Smoking in Parks

By Erica Williams

Feb. 13 -- The city that led the way in enforcing a statewide ban on smoking in bars is one step closer to making its parks smoke free.

The Santa Monica City Council Tuesday night voted 6 to 1 to prohibit smoking within all park boundaries, joining a handful of area cities -- including Beverly Hills and Carson -- in extending to entire parks a statewide ban on smoking within 25 feet of playgrounds and tot lot areas.

City staff must now draft the ordinance and resolution that will implement the new policy.

In supporting the measure, Mayor Richard Bloom acknowledged that the ban might cause a hardship for some smokers, especially those who are addicted.

"But when you balance that against the healthcare needs of the community and the tremendous benefit that measures like this can bring to public health," Bloom said, "I don't think there's any contest."

The measure passed with relatively little debate. Aside from Bloom, there was almost no discussion of the measure.

The only opposition came from Council member Pam O'Connor. ”I'd like the record to reflect that I think the state law adequately addresses this," she stated simply, without further comment.

Of the dozen community members addressing the council on the issue, none opposed the ban.

Robert Berger, a member of a group advocating smoke-free environments, urged the council to adopt the measure, pointing out that second-hand smoke is dangerous in outdoor settings, "especially to children, especially to those with asthma and respiratory problems.

"We talk about smokers' rights, but what about the rights of non-smokers?" he asked, adding that more than 80 percent of the population doesn’t smoke.

Berger then held up two large, clear acrylic tubes filled with sand chock full of cigarette butts that he said was a sampling picked up from area parks over the weekend by his group.

"The time has come to really clear the air," he urged, noting that parks are about healthy behavior and cigarettes do not belong in that setting. As Berger left the podium the mayor thanked him for helping to keep the parks clean.

To the further amusement of a packed chamber waiting to address the council on an antiwar resolution, Jerry Rubin said: "I hope you pass this ordinance, no ifs, ands or butts.

"I think this is a very reasonable proposal," Rubin said, adding that some might say the City was taking a smoker’s rights away.

"This is not a right," he said. "There is no constitutional protection to smoke in our beautiful parks. You don't drink in the parks."

Rubin also noted that smoking is currently prohibited in restaurants, movie theatres, bars and clubs and on airlines without the devastating economic effects opponents of the ban predict.

The council's action followed the Recreation and Parks Commission's unanimous vote in June recommending that the City adopt theno smoking policy. A tremendous show of community support in favor of the measure swayed the commission, which also recommended using a combination of community education and park signage to inform the public of the new smoke-free policy.

Tuesday night's motion also comes nearly three years after Beverly Hills extended to all parts of its 14 city parks a 1992 law that prohibited smoking in all sports fields, bleachers and children's play areas. Los Angeles also recently extended its ban on smoking in city parks.