Pismo Beach, Calif. to Debate Expanding Smoking Ban This Week (Update)

A proposal to expand the smoking ban in Pismo Beach, Calif. will come before the city’s leaders on Tuesday, and if it passes, could ban smoking on city sidewalks as well as the outdoor patios of bars and restaurants.

According to the council’s agenda for its Dec. 18 meeting, the council will be asked to consider two approaches, the first which would be expanding the ban to cover areas such as outdoor dining areas at restaurants and bars, as well as public sidewalks, public events such as fairs, concerts and farmers’ markets; service areas, which would include bus stops, ATM lines and taxi stands; as well as outdoor construction sites.

The city currently has several prohibitions on smoking in place, including bans on smoking in public parks, playground areas, the city’s beach, the city pier and within 20 feet of a main exit, entrance, or operable window of a public building.

The council could also choose to piecemeal an expanded smoking ban together by choosing certain areas from a list submitted by city staff, while leaving other areas unaffected by the ban. Whichever way the council decides to proceed, a draft ordinance incorporating the council’s direction would still need to be created for introduction at the next available meeting.

Pismo Beach is located on California’s central coast, 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It is home to approximately 8,200 residents.

Update (Dec. 20, 2018) — The debate has been tabled until January as only three council members were present at Tuesday’s meeting, according to a report by KSBY.com. This story was originally published on Dec. 16, 2018.