West Hollywood considers banning outdoor smoking (outdoor restaurants)

[The Straight Story]

WEST HOLLYWOOD -- The city of West Hollywood has voted to snuff out smoking in outdoor restaurants and other public areas.

The city council voted three-to-two in favor of the ban at Monday night's first reading of the ordinance.

The next and final vote will take place at the end of the month.

Supporters say the ordinance will improve the quality of life for residents and visitors.

Opponents argue the law doesn't do enough to define which establishments have to abide by the restrictions.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-weho-outdoor-smoking,0,2626447.story

[Newest Reality]

1. That should do wonders!

The bans on outdoor smoking that we are seeing will have a dramatic impact on air pollution, I bet. Imagine the pure, pristine air people will breath once the smokers stop polluting everything.

All sarcasm aside, what kind of ruse is this? Does it diffuse the fact that the air in some areas and cities is often not fit to breath? Meanwhile, polluters continue to pollute whenever and wherever they can. Take a look at how many tons of pollutants are spewed-out everyday in the red zones where they are extracting natural gas in this country.

Now back to our regularly scheduled efforts to deregulate! Pay no attention to that!

[cayanne]

2. Smoking Stinks

I didn't realize how much it stinks until I quit smoking 6 years ago and my sense of smell went back to normal.

[walldude]

3. Right, but the new power plant in So Cal is exempt

from new EPA rules and regs.

I'm sure allowing a power plant to spew pollution is less important than banning smoking OUTSIDE.

[Hannah Bell]

12. wow. that says something. i'm sure the anti-smoking folks who are so terribly concerned with air

quality will go down & protest immediately.

or not, if they're self-righteous hypocritical scapegoating assholes.

[walldude]

15. Guess who is supplying the machinery for the new Plant....

General Electric... Now I'm sure that the exemption from these new regulations has nothing to do with the appointment of Immelt.... :eyes:

[Hannah Bell]

16. shocked.

[taught_me_patience]

4. Cue false analogies to car exhaust in 3...2...1...

edited to satisfy spelling nazis

[Hannah Bell]

6. cue. "que" = spanish for "what?" because west hollywood's poor air quality is undoubtably due to

smoking.

west hollywood air pollution index = 1.3

http://www.homefacts.com/California/Los-Angeles-County/West-Hollywood/communityinfo.html


10 = outstanding.

West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a 2007 residential population estimate of 34,675.<1> 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood.<2> West Hollywood and the neighboring city of Beverly Hills are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Hollywood,_California

yeah, i've heard gay people & beverly hills denziens smoke like fucking chimneys.

moral panic, anyone?

[taught_me_patience]

13. I GUARANTEE this stupid pollution index is higher

when someone is smoking two feet from your face.

[Hannah Bell]

14. then move. why do you sit next to smokers? & btw, "higher" on the index = better, not worse.

LA has very poor air quality & it's not because of smokers.

[The Straight Story]

17. Well, here is my offer:

I will go sit in my garage for 2 hours and chain smoke with the doors closed.

Then you pull a car in and sit there while it runs for 2 hours.

When done, we will compare notes as to which is worse..although I feel I will be all alone at that point.

[Hannah Bell]

5. banning outdoor smoking in los angeles. lol. that will fix things.

http://www.homefacts.com/airquality/California/Los-Angeles-County/West-Hollywood.html

[booley]

7. my position as an anti-smoking nazi

Goodness knows i am not pro-smoking.

I have a large number of relatives who are dead because of smoking.
I have friends who addicted.
Even if they quit, chances are they will become assholes from the stress of it.
I have reduced lung function so cigarette smoke is a real issue for me.
And Gods know that my patience is short with smokers upset at losing their "right " to make everyone around them indulge in their habit. Smokers can quit smoking for a while and it might even be good for them. I, however, can't really stop breathing without a lot of negative consequences.

Now having said all that, the major problem between non-smokers and smokers has always seemed to be that when a smoker lights up, everyone in the room effectively does the same since we all share the same air.

But pound for pound, car exhaust is far worse and already endemic to any outdoor cafe. That's not a straw man. Car exhaust contains different but just as nasty stuff as cigarette smoke and like any kind of pollution, it spreads far beyond the original source. At worst, Cigarette smoke get diffused into that, at best the wind blows the smoke away before it can become too overwhelming. So this law will do nothing to help non-smokers. It just punishes smokers for the sake of punishing smokers.

Outlaw inside smoking for restaurants and leave it at that.

[taught_me_patience]

8. If you are outside and a smoker lights up 2 feet from your table

don't you get hit with secondhand smoke? Don't you get hit with air pollution + secondhand smoke? The air-quality will ALWAYS be worse where secondhand smoke is present.

[Hannah Bell]

9. why do you sit 2 feet away from a smoker? why do you sit outside next to the street if you're

so concerned with air quality?

[The Straight Story]

10. Well, they could also exercise their freedom of choice and not eat there

Freedom of choice, kind of something I like :)

[Hannah Bell]

11. "It just punishes smokers for the sake of punishing smokers." precisely/