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Action on Smoking and Health
A National Legal-Action Antismoking Organization Entirely Supported by Tax-Deductible Contributions
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CA Lawmaker Proposes Hefty Fine for Tossing Cigarette Butts [04/08-4]
Excerpts from: Bill targets tossing of cigarette butts
By Jim Sanders The Sacramento Bee [04/08/04]
Motorists who toss cigarette butts out the window could be fined more than their car is worth under legislation proposed by a Southern California lawmaker.
The measure would raise the stakes for contributing to the millions of smoldering butts discarded annually.
Fines and penalty assessments would range from a minimum of $3,400 for first-time offenders to $20,400 for anyone cited three times or more.
The bill targets motorists or pedestrians who illegally toss cigarettes, cigars, matches or other flaming substances onto public lands or private property not owned by them.Others contend the massive fines could backfire, crowding courts and exacerbating pressure on jails that could be forced to house smokers unable to pay the stiff penalties.
AB 2694, which has not yet been heard by the Assembly Public Safety Committee, is likely to spark debate on law-enforcement priorities and on the extent to which increasing fines alters behavior.
By all accounts, cigarette littering is a massive problem statewide, although few violators are caught and cited.
More than 300,000 cigarette butts are seized each year during California Coastal Cleanup Day, a three-hour sweep of beaches, shorelines and other such areas, said Eben Schwartz, event coordinator.
California law currently treats cigarette butts and matches like any other form of litter, allowing fines and penalty assessments ranging from $360 for first-time offenders to a maximum of $3,400 for multiple citations.AB 2694 would send the base fines skyrocketing and establish proportional increases in penalty assessments, which are tacked on to citations to generate funds for court construction, jails, victim restitution and other purposes.
Statewide, between 5,000 and 6,000 tickets are issued annually for throwing cigarettes or other flaming objects out vehicle windows, according to California Highway Patrol statistics.
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