By Jason Islas
Lookout Staff

December 21, 2011 -- Smokers visiting Santa Monica will have to take their habit to the street when staying in new hotels, but the verdict is still out on smoking in apartments and condos.

Last Tuesday, the City Council voted to ban smoking in all new hotels built in Santa Monica, but the Council did not agree to stricter rules about smoking in multi-family buildings, citing concerns over regulating what people can and cannot do within the privacy of their own homes.

Council member Kevin McKeown was the sole voice against the ban on smoking in hotels.

“I don't know if in preparing this, we consulted with our Convention and Visitors Bureau,” McKeown said, adding that it could alienate visitors from countries where smoking is more common.

“My goal is to save people from exposure to second-hand smoke where we can avoid it, but I'm not sure that banning it in all hotels accomplishes that without there being unintended consequences,” he said.

The Council, however, voted five to one in favor of the ban.

A more contentious issue proved to be the question on how to handle smoking restrictions in apartments and condominiums.

The ordinance, as it was proposed by city staff, would require that residents declare their apartments or condominiums either “smoking” or “non-smoking.” It would also require that all newly vacated and constructed units would be designated “non-smoking.”

McKeown pointed out that this would eventually mean there will be no smokers living in any of the multi-family buildings in the city.

“I've become increasingly concerned as we have begun to really infringe on the ability of people to live in this community, ” said McKeown.

“We've moved from a good faith effort to reduce and eliminate the health impacts on non-smokers to somehow trying to make all of Santa Monica a smoke-free zone,” he said.

But many people in the public comment portion of the discussion pleaded with the council to consider the health impact of second-hand smoke.

“If you're blowing smoke into a ventilation system that pumps smoke into somebody else's unit, it just imposes a different standard on you,” said Council member Bobby Shriver, who has been in favor of very aggressive anti-smoking regulations.

He said the health problems facing children as a result of second-hand smoke was argument enough for Santa Monica to take up restrictions in multi-family buildings.

Council member Bob Holbrook echoed Shriver's sentiments, “It's important that people who choose to smoke do it out of doors and away from other people's apartments.”

But Mayor Richard Bloom thought that city staff needed to spend more time to look at the issues of privacy, to which Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis agreed.

The Council voted four to two to take up the issue again in 90 days, when they will discuss it again.

Council member Terry O'Day was absent. In a previous meeting, O'Day supported the idea of banning smoking in private apartments, citing health reasons.