California Beach & Parks Smoking Ban Vetoed

“Third time is not always a charm,” Gov. Jerry Brown wrote in his veto letter regarding a trio of bills that would have banned smoking at state parks and beaches, referencing his two previous vetoes of similar proposals.

The governor said that his opinion on the matter had not changed, and that “we have many rules telling us what we can’t do and these are wide open spaces,” in his Saturday veto.

The bills, which were sent to the governor on Sept. 1 after getting the legislature’s approval, would have prohibited smoking in state parks and beaches, and with the same provision: that smoking in a state park or on a state beach is not allowed, and a person can be cited with an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $25 if they dispose of the used cigar or cigarette waste in a unit of the state park system, other than in an appropriate waste receptacle. Assuming a person does put their spent cigar, cigarette or other item into a proper waste receptacle, it would appear there would be no fine, even though smoking would remain prohibited. In essence, both bills sought to bring an end to the improper disposal of lit tobacco products, a push that has gained traction due to recent wildfires in the state and the growing concern that there will be more in future years.

Sponsors of the bill hoped that Brown would be amendable to the reduced fines and the ability to create designated smoking areas included in the bills, as well as motivated by the growing danger of wildfires, as there were some 13 active wildfires burning within the state when the bills arrived on his desk.

Featured image by Cayambe [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.