> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Slow burn for smokers - URL: https://www.smdp.com/slow-burn-for-smokers/ - Published: 2006-07-27T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T19:06:03.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Government & Politics, Promenade, #archive-import *City Council chimes in about butting out* CITY HALL — Smoke ’em if you got ’em, because in a few weeks, the right to puff on a cigarette in public will be severely restricted. Looking to extinguish the deadly effects of second-hand smoke,the City Council on Tuesday night approved the creation of a far-reaching smoking ban that could render it nearly impossible for tobacco lovers to partake anywhere in the city other than their own homes. Once the ban is approved in the coming weeks, as expected, smoking will no longer be allowed along the Third Street Promenade or at any of the Farmers’ Markets. Smoking will also be prohibited in all outdoor dining and service areas, as well as within 20 feet of any entrances or windows open to the public. Smoking is already prohibited in the city’s parks, beaches and on portions of the pier. The vote comes on the heels of a recent report by the U.S. surgeon general, which concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke — the smoke individuals breathe when they are located in the same air space as someone puffing on a cigarette or other tobacco inhalant. Nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent, and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent, the report found. The Council’s preliminary approval of the ban was seen by advocates, including the American Cancer Society, as a major victory for public health in light of the fact that nearly half of all non-smoking Americans are still regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. “It’s time to snuff ’em out folks,” said Councilman Kevin McKeown, shortly before the council ordered the City Attorney’s Office to draft the ban. Councilman Richard Bloom said evidence has been building over the last few years that second-hand smoke is a killer. With the surgeon general’s recent report, Bloom said he felt it was imperative to protect the health of the public immediately. “I don’t think there is any question about the substantial health risks of second-hand smoke,” Bloom said. “I think the time has come to take further steps.” Supporters of the ban, who were wearing large blue buttons stating their allegiance to non-smoking, packed the Council Chambers and cheered loudly when the votes were tallied. They included representatives from the American Lung Association, the Coalition for a Tobacco Free L.A. and Healthier Solutions, a Santa Monica-based group dedicated to a smoke-free society. Council member Pam O’Connor cast the lone dissenting vote, saying the ban was really an attempt to outlaw smoking in all public spaces, especially the clause eliminating smoking from within 20 feet of any public entrance or window. On congested streets such as Pico, Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards and Montana Avenue, complying with the ban will be almost impossible for smokers unless they are standing near the middle of the street, O’Connor said. “We are criminalizing people who smoke what is still a legal substance,” O’Connor said. “We are not giving them an option … We’re making it difficult for people to even walk down the street.” O’Connor said if the state Legislature is determined to rid California of smoking in the next decade, then it should outlaw tobacco like the federal government did to alcohol during Prohibition, rather than relying on individual cities. With Tuesday’s vote, Santa Monica joined close to a dozen other California cities that ban smoking in outdoor dining areas, a measure that polls indicate is supported by most Californians, according to the staff report. Most in the audience supported the move. However, there was some opposition, albeit slight. Wes Hooker, owner of Locanda Del Lago restaurant on the Promenade, made the argument that the ban would be harmful to the restaurant business, with the possibility of turning tourists away once they are confronted with steep fines for violating the law. Under current law, those caught smoking on the beach and in parks can face fines of up to $250. “My concern is that rents on the Third Street Promenade are already very high, so restaurants are concerned about losing even a small segment of customers,” Hooker said. “I’m afraid that this will make it tough to make ends meet.” Kathleen Rawson, executive director of the Bayside District Corp., which partners with City Hall to promote and manage downtown and the Promenade, said her board of directors voted overwhelmingly against the ban out of concern that it would have an adverse effect on businesses, including the large number of bars and restaurants downtown. “There were a lot of different reasons for the board to vote the way it did, but the majority felt (the ban) was really starting to stifle people’s ability to just be and live,” Rawson said. Councilman Herb Katz and other members of the council said they heard talk of businesses being hurt by the ban on smoking in bars or restaurants that took effect four years ago, but there has been no evidence showing a drop off in sales. “My concern was about tourism and the Promenade, but I don’t think this will hurt any of our restaurants,” Katz said. “It’s time we had clean air.” Feddie Esph, who manages a cart on the Promenade, opposes the ban, although his concern was not business-related. “It’d be a bad idea because people like to smoke once in a while, and it’s a fun open space.” Tourists may also find the wide-sweeping ban something of a surprise, being that their own countries may not have imposed such restrictions, but it may not be an unwelcome one. Emily Seal, a 17-year-old tourist from London, didn’t feel the ban would hurt the appeal of the Promenade, even as she sat smoking outside a Starbucks. “Generally, it’s a good idea,”said Seal.“We can just go somewhere else. There’s lots of kids around here.” (Nora Casey contributed to the reporting of this article.) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 27, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072706.pdf?ref=smdp.com)