South Pasadena, Calif. Passes Sidewalk Smoking Ban

On Thursday, the South Pasadena City Council unanimously passed a significant new addition to its smoking ban that will make it illegal to smoke on city sidewalks and walkways. The ordinance builds on an existing ban on smoking in city parks, as well as in multi-family housing and within 25 feet of any place where smoking is banned.

Retail tobacco stores did preserve their exemption to the ban, meaning a person can still light up inside such a business, as well as within a single family, unattached home, and on the city’s golf course. The city had previously banned smoking in multifamily housing structures, though owners are allowed to create designated smoking areas provided they are unenclosed and at least 25 feet away from any enclosed area or recreation area, such as a pool or athletic court. It must also be clearly marked by boundaries and signage, and be no more than 10 percent of the total unenclosed area of the multi-unit residence for which it is designated. Residents in such structures are not allowed to smoke on balconies or patios of their units.

Included in the ordinance is a statement of purpose, which states that “it is the intent of the City Council of South Pasadena in enacting this article to provide for the public health, safety, and welfare by discouraging the inherently dangerous behavior of smoking; by protecting children from exposure to smoking where they live and play; and by protecting the public from nonconsensual exposure to secondhand smoke in and around their homes.”

The ban goes into effect 30 days following its passage, which would be June 15, and violators will be subject to a minimum fine of $100.

South Pasadena is home to approximately 26,000 residents.