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Los Angeles County Bans Smoking at 2 More Beaches [06/16-3]

Excerpts from: Los Angeles County bans smoking at two unincorporated beaches

The Mercury News [06/15/04]


The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to temporarily ban smoking on two unincorporated beaches, making them among eight beaches along the Los Angeles County coast where smokers can no longer light up.

The ban, which applies to Mothers' Beach in Marina del Rey and Topanga Beach near Malibu, is part of a pilot program approved by three of five county supervisors.

Though a start date has not been set, the ban is set to run through Sept. 15.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, author of the ban, said smoking on the beach leads to littering and is a health risk.

Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained from voting on the ban Tuesday. She said she wanted more information on why beaches were being singled out and wondered if such bans were a fad.

Yaroslavsky said he didn't want the two beaches under the county's jurisdiction to "be the only places between Ventura County and Orange County where you can still go to a beach and smoke."

This spring, the city of Los Angeles banned smoking on four of its beaches - Venice, Cabrillo, Will Rogers and Dockweiler. Malibu and Santa Monica also enacted similar bans on their beaches.

Now, no one can smoke from Marina del Rey to the Ventura County line. Smoking is still allowed at El Segundo, Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo and Torrance beaches in Los Angeles County.

Two other cities in Southern California, San Clemente and Solana Beach, have also banned smoking on their beaches.