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# Santa Monica Smoking ban leaves nothing to the imagination
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-smoking-ban-leaves-nothing-to-the-imagination-editor/
- Published: 2004-03-30T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T04:05:16.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Pier, #archive-import

*By Henry Rosenfeld*

I was sad to read about the new no smoking on the beach ban going into effect in May. Sad and nostalgic, for it brought back memories from 30 years ago when I used to sit on the shore just north of the pier building sand castles.

My brother and sisters always used the differently-shaped, leftover cigarette butts they found to represent cars on the freeways that went around the castle. But I used the butts for tiny people because I didn’t understand how a castle could have freeways. Anyway, don’t you see how Santa Monica’s City Council is robbing our imaginations? Who are they to do this to the children of tomorrow.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 30, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/033004.pdf?ref=smdp.com)