Santa Monica City Hall can’t walk the walk Editor: As I follow the daily exploits of my hometown in the Daily Press online, I was truly excited that the City Council finally did something progressive and banned smoking in public, basically everywhere, but perhaps in the middle of an intersection.
Returning to Santa Monica last weekend, I was disappointed that no one seems to be enforcing the ban. As my wife and I walked on the Third Street Promenade, we encountered more smokers than I can remember, including one guy smoking a big stogie outside Yankee Doodles.
How about some signage on the promenade citing the law and letting people they’re breaking it? Sadly, from the ban on homeless sleeping in doorways to public feeding to preferential parking zones, Santa Monica seems good at passing laws, just not enforcing them.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 16, 2007. Read the original PDF.