Long Beach institutes smoking ban in all parks and recreation areas [Updated]

The Long Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to ban smoking in all city parks and recreational areas.

The ban will cover, among other sites, all city parks, sports fields and hiking trails.

The issue initially came before the council as a request by Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal to prohibit smoking at the smaller parks because of difficulties for nonsmokers and children to avoid smoke in more confined spaces. The Parks and Recreation Commission then proposed expanding the ordinance to cover all city parks and recreation areas.

The ban is indicative of Long Beach’s support of a healthy environment for residents and visitors who participate in recreational activities, Lowenthal said. “It is an important statement for our city and our commitment to an active lifestyle, ” she said.

Deleth Caspeta, a 17-year-old senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, voiced her support for the measure to the council. She later told the Times that she became active in the push for the ban because of her experiences of feeling ill after breathing in secondhand smoke while waiting for the school bus in the sixth grade.

“We would get headaches from just waiting there,” Caspeta said. “This will be something good for future students and generations.”

[Updated at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday: An earlier version of this post did not make it clear that Caspeta's comments about her secondhand smoke experience were made in an interview with The Times.]

Councilman James Johnson expressed concern that the lack of a requirement for signs warning of the new law would result in tickets to smokers who were unaware of the regulation. Lowenthal disagreed, saying that much like other bans on smoking in town, word will get out.

Under the ordinance, those caught smoking in recreational areas will be fined $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense within a year, and $500 for each subsequent violation within a year of the previous offenses.

-- Stephen Ceasar in Long Beach

Comments

[Audrey Silk]

There's only one response to this socially and scientifically unsupportable moralism: Catch me if you can.

[Mary]

Councilman James Johnson expressed concern that the lack of a requirement for signs warning of the new law would result in tickets to smokers who were unaware of the regulation. Lowenthal disagreed, saying that much like other bans on smoking in town, word will get out.

------Terrific! Mission accomplished. At least provide a map/leaflet outlining all city defined banned smoking areas.
------Couldn't the city of LB at least mail that out to its citizens instead of using the lame excuse that the "word will get out." That might prevent citizens from being targeted for tickets. Post the map permantly on the city government's website and in the local newspapers websites too.
------I aggree the last thing needed in LB is more signs!
------The numerous signs are a disaster in downtown Long Beach. Talk about eye pollution. There are so many signs that it almost appears to be set-up so that PD can pull anyone over at anytime for any reason.
------Talk about an obstacle course and the potential abuse of power by law enforcement.
-----Who needs more abuse of power in the wake of government officials exposed for their own crimes and abuse of authority in LA County.

Send out notices.

[Jay]

taking are rights away

[oldeww2vet]

amazing, no legal warning, but guilty. is this the nation i went to war(ww2) to defend as a teenager? hard to recognize. i am not defending smoking, i am very allergenic. i have outlived by at least a decade my smoking friends. we were given "smokes" free or .03 to .07 cents a pack, esp in a war zone. many of my children's friends "chew" or use "snuff" and are dying from mouth, throat or stomach cancers at 40-50 years of age. leaving young children and wives wondering, why. i repeatedly warned these guys over a 20 year period, in front of their families. so, hopefully any reader understands, tobacco products kill. however a fine without warning must be unconstitutional. next time i'm in your neighborhood i'll "bum" a butt, try to get arrested and have one of my lawyer grandchildren sue your city and it will be as" busted as bell" .

[Javier Marroquin]

But if 19 passes, it will be A-OK to smoke weed, right?

[Michael Buber]

Vancouver city is also considering banning smoking on public beaches. That's partly why I got an electronic cigarette. An e-cig is a cigarette-shaped device that produces a tarless vapour that looks, tastes and feels like tobacco smoke, but with no carcinogens and less expensive than regular cigarettes. I can smoke it inside or on the beach because it doesn’t burn anything, no butts and it doesn’t smell bad. I’ve even been given permission to smoke it at my office. Everytime someone sees me with it, they want one. I found mine at www.mistycig.com. So good luck my fellow smokers, you can quit and keep smoking on the beach!

[Lisa]

These smoking banks are getting carried away, how does smoking on a hiking trail affect anyone your outside. Your invading peoples rights!!

[Eastbay 75]

Ban smoking and legalize marijuana - That is LA logic.

[johnLA]

Before we get hysterical here, what is more toxic; school bus fumes and traffic or second hand tobacco smoke....

[garey]

The nazi's have taken over
they know whats good for me
I guess in 2012 they will make me give 80% of my income to obama's presidential campaign

[Joe]

Deleth Caspeta, a 17-year-old senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, voiced her support for the measure. She told the council that she became active in the push for the ban because of her experiences of feeling ill after breathing in secondhand smoke while waiting for the school bus in the sixth grade.

So were all her classmates in the sixth grade smokers? What a liar! !!

[rob]

Waiting for the rants of smokers on how their "rights" are being violated.

[Mary]

Word will get out?
That sounds more like what a gang might say instead of taking responsible actions to inform it's citizens of it's new laws.

How about "No Child Molesters/Rapists Allowed" or "Beware of Molesters" signs in LB?
No that's a "sign" to remind parents and the public of the a real and present danger to kids and adults in Long Beach.

[David]

This is a terrible idea brought up by a stupid councilwoman with no knowledge of the Constitution and supported by youngsters who are not yet educated enough to understand the damage these types of laws cause to our society as a whole.

[David]

Commenter Mary: A great example of what Women's Suffrage has done for this country

[Mary]

Oh, and it you were a victim of clergy sex abuse, stay out of St. Anthony's neighborhood in Long Beach.

St. Anthonys that represents the Catholic Church has banners on LB public light poles around their town that says "St. Anthony's Neighborhood."

Some people might perceive that as a gang related sign.

Is that legal under city ordinances?

[Former Smoker]

"Word will get out?" Too bad Lowenthal's "journey" up the LB government ladder didn't include a stop in civics class and/or medical school. Sounds like a revenue grab. Here's a news flash: those $100 fines won't make up the deficit caused by the police/fire pension spike the LB City Council enacted w/o being asked.

[All Hallows Eve]

Even when I smoked I understood how annoying and troublesome second hand smoke is to most people. Most smokers don't understand that many of us have immediate allergic reactions to it that affects our breathing - and many couldn't care less.

It's a MAJOR problem in most public areas and even in apartment buildings.

If the selfish, narcissistic smokers would've been more considerate of others to begin with, these bans would never have been enforced. And I can see from pausing on a few of these comments that many still do not get it.

Grow up people. It only takes a FEW to ruin it for the rest.

I respect everyone's right to smoke - but those of us who don't also have the right to breath freely.

[Richard Lindemann]

If it was only smoke on trails and the beach....that would be one thing. i was raised in the marina's and beach area's and smoked most of my life. I stop smoking 5 years ago. and am much more aware of all the BUTTS on the beach. In fact when i walk my dog ( and pick up after him) I see all types of smokers in the marina just ficking there butts in the bay and on the green belts.

three times a week, i pick up other peoples Cig Butts, and i get 25 to 50 in just a block In the Shorline marina.

It is amazing how many people Trash there own City and marina ......

I like to see the tickets start being written....maybe make up the budjet defect.