Redondo Beach, Calif. Gives First Approval to Citywide Smoking Ban, Tobacco Retailer Permit

In the near future, it could very likely get a lot harder to smoke in Redondo Beach, as on Tuesday the city council unanimously approved the first reading of a smoking ban applicable to nearly all public spaces within the Los Angeles suburb.

The ban would extend existing laws that prohibit smoking in parks, beaches and the city’s pier to all public spaces, with limited exemptions left for designated areas. Specifically, the proposed ordinance would define public places as “any public place, or any private place open to the general public regardless of any fee or age requirement, including, for example, streets, sidewalks, plazas, bars, restaurants, clubs, stores, stadiums, farmers’ markets, bus shelters, ATM or ticket lines, theaters, parking lots, parks, playgrounds, taxis, and buses.” It would also include outdoor dining areas open to the general public.

Residential properties and vehicles in motion would not be affected by the ban.

In addition, the council approved a proposal that will require all tobacco retailers within the city to obtain a new permit in order to continue selling tobacco products, as well as implementing a ban on the sale of all flavored electronic cigarettes. The fee for the permit has yet to be decided, but according to a report by DailyBreeze.com, it is expected to be about $50. The city says that there are currently 43 retailers who would be required to get the license.

All of the proposals must get another approval before it will become law; assuming that happens at a future council meeting, the smoking ban will go into effect 30 days after approval, while the retailer permit will take a year to go into effect.

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.