Smoking ban put on table

The Newport Beach City Council will discuss a possible city ban on smoking in public places at a 4 p.m. study session Tuesday.

The Newport Beach Environmental Quality Affairs Committee recommended in February that the City Council consider banning smoking in public places like parks and outdoor dining areas.

“I’m not a smoker, and I don’t appreciate other people smoking around me, but there are a certain amount of civil liberties that comes into question,� Councilman Steve Rosansky said.

Rosansky would probably support a ban on smoking in public places, as long as it wasn’t too extreme, he added.

The Newport Beach Police Department does not actively enforce the city’s existing smoking restrictions, according to a city report released Wednesday on the issue.

Police respond to complaints about smoking, “but these are not high-priority responses,� according to the report.

“In the end, the discussion always comes down to enforcement,� Councilwoman Nancy Gardner, said, adding she would be inclined to support a city ban on smoking in public places.

“We know our police officers are not making a big effort to see that nobody is smoking, but there are ‘no smoking’ signs on the beach and that makes it easier for people to say something to people they see smoking.�

Several California cities have already passed similar bans on smoking in public places.

City officials in Belmont enacted a ordinance in 2007 that bans smoking in parks, apartments and condominiums and near the entrances of homes and businesses.

The Berkeley City Council expanded its already stringent anti-smoking laws in 2008 to ban smoking in commercial areas.

El Cajon passed an ordinance in 2007 banning smoking on city sidewalks.

Newport Beach already has a few laws on the books that prohibit smoking in some public places, including elevators, public areas of hospitals, inside restaurants, public restrooms and theaters and auditoriums.

The City Council passed an ordinance to prohibit smoking on Newport’s beaches and piers in 2004 after high school students pushed for the ban.

Reporter BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected].