In an 8-0 vote, the City Council outlawed smoking at all city beaches and parks starting in approximately five weeks.
At the Monday, June 19, council meeting, there were only five people who spoke against the ordinance, which would make beach smoking a misdemeanor offense that would be punished by a maximum six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Violations could also be prosecuted as an infraction with no jail time and a $250 fine at the first offense.
There were numerous speakers in favor of the ordinance ranging from representatives from the American Cancer Society, La Jolla Shores Association, the PTA, among others. Many organizations, such as the Pacific Beach Town Council and Ocean Beach Town Council, were listed as supporters. Four of the five people who spoke against it were smokers.
The measure was presented by Councilman Jim Madaffer, who said the cost of the ordinance would be no more than $30,000. The cost of 1,000 signs would be approximately $15,000 to $20,000, he said. Less expensive stick-on signs would be placed on beach trash containers.
Madaffer showed enlarged pictures of cigarette butts in the sand, commenting that they were “just gross to look at.”
He called the ban a quality-of-life issue and said San Diego was following the lead of other California cities that do not allow smoking on their beaches.
Bill Hickman, an Ocean Beach resident who works for the Surfrider Foundation, told the council “cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world.” He added that cigarette butts do not degrade easily and often end up in the stomachs of fish and birds, causing their deaths.
A retired physician, Arnold Flick, of La Jolla, was the only non-smoker who spoke against the measure. He said the dangers of second hand smoke come from people smoking in enclosed rooms with ceilings and not at the beach. He pointed out that “littering is already an illegal act.”
“The smoker is a citizen and deserves to be left alone on his leisure hour,” Flick said.
Judy Lincoln told the council that charcoal grills at the beach are more deadly then cigarette smoking. She said there were “many more disgusting things” than cigarette butts at the beach.
“Around the country, we’re a laughing stock, and this is another one to add to it,” she said. “This is a rude thing to say to tourists, ‘No, you can’t smoke.’ Why have laws you can’t enforce?”
“I cannot understand why you can talk about banning smoking and not alcohol,” said Bill Bradshaw of Pacific Beach.
Councilwoman Toni Atkins said there should be designated areas at beaches and parks where smokers could light up, but she noted that informing the public of where they would be located has not been determined.
Police officers and lifeguards could write citations to violators without anyone being arrested. Officials said lifeguards could broadcast warnings about the law.
The City Council will hear a second reading of the ordinance passed on Monday in a few weeks, and it would become law 30 days after that. Madaffer made the motion to outlaw smoking at beaches and parks, and Council President Scott Peters seconded the motion.