Smoking ban looking more likely

Alicia Robinson

The city’s Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission is likely to

adopt a beach smoking ban as soon as Aug. 3 and pass it on to the

City Council for approval, officials said Wednesday.

The commission discussed a possible smoking ban Tuesday after

Councilman John Heffernan in April asked staff members to look into

the issue. Coastal cities including Malibu, San Clemente and Santa

Monica have already banned smoking on city beaches and the Huntington

Beach City Council approved a ban Tuesday night.

The next step in Newport Beach is a vote by the Parks, Beaches and

Recreation Commission on legislation to ban beach smoking. Commission

Chairman Tom Tobin said board members favor the ban but still have a

few unanswered questions, such as whether to designate smoking areas

near the beach but off the sand and how a smoking ban might affect

the city’s tourism business.

“I think the commission was unanimous in approving a no-smoking

ordinance, but we have not sent that to council,” Tobin said. “In the

state of California, I think it’s almost unanimous that the cities

are going to no smoking not only in parks, but the beach areas, too.”

People have voiced health and environmental concerns about smoking

and no one has come forward to oppose a beach smoking ban, Tobin

said.

The city will notify residents and businesses next to any possible

designated smoking areas to allow public comment at the commission’s

Aug. 3 meeting, said Dave Niederhaus, the city’s general services

director.

To enforce a ban, the city probably would post signs and police

officers would inform beach smokers about the ban, but the police and

lifeguards don’t have the time or resources to aggressively pursue

violators, Niederhaus said.

“We’ve made it clear that we’re not going to use either agency for

active, strong enforcement,” he said.

Mayor Tod Ridgeway has said the City Council is likely to ban

smoking on city beaches, and an initiative that would make smokers

stay within 20 feet of a trash can on state beaches is pending in the

Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee.

The Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission will take public

comment on the possible beach smoking ban at its Aug. 3 meeting, and

council could consider a recommendation from the commission as early

as Aug. 24. The commission and council meetings are held at 7 p.m. in

council chambers, 3300 Newport Blvd.