SAN DIEGO - Worried about the health effects of secondhand smoke and sick of cleaning up discarded cigarettes, San Diego has banned smoking at its beaches and parks. The city joins nearly 2,300 other municipalities across the nation that have barred smoking in a variety of public places.

In California, smoking bans have caught fire in beach communities. At least 35 cities, including Malibu, Santa Monica and Long Beach, now have ordinances to keep smokers from lighting up on the sand.

Several smokers at San Diego's Ocean Beach welcomed the ban, which was passed late Tuesday.

"I think it's a good idea, as long as they don't make us stop drinking," said beach resident Libby Brignon, a smoker who is fed up with finding butts in the sand.

Solana Beach, about 20 miles north of San Diego, became the first beach town in California to enact a smoking ban two years ago. Officials have been pleased with the results.

"You have to look really hard to find a cigarette butt," City Manager David Ott said.

According to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, 17 states now have laws in effect to regulate smoking in public places. That means 44.5 percent of the U.S. population is restricted from puffing at bars, restaurants and other locations.

Many employers have voluntarily barred smoking in enclosed spaces. Even countries long seen as bastions for smoking, such as Japan and Spain, are seeing local bans.

"Nonsmokers are fed up and fighting for their rights to clean air," said Robert Berger, president of Healthier Solutions Inc., a nonsmokers rights group.

Berger believes a statewide ban on smoking at beaches and parks is inevitable in California, despite the narrow defeat of an attempt by the Legislature to do it in 2004.

Phone calls to two smokers rights advocacy groups — The Smokers Club Inc., and Forces International — were not immediately returned.

San Diego City Council President Scott Peters said parks were included in the council vote to reduce fire risks. The measure will take effect by mid-August.

Volunteers for beach cleanups often find thousands of cigarette butts, especially after big holidays like July 4, Peters said.

Some environmentalists said they fear that smokers will now congregate on streets near the beach and that butts flicked on sidewalks could get washed into the ocean.

Stefanie Sekich, of the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said the organization is spending thousands of dollars to install theft-proof ashtrays in those locations.

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I can't believe people still smoke.

I can't believe people are ok with regulating smoking outside.

Dear Smokers,

No one cares if you suffer b/c you're gross and stinky, and you leave your butts all over the place.

Sincerely,
B

Seems like they should just enforce the laws against littering that are probably already on the books.

If this proerty is owned by the state, they can regulate it as they see fit. Now if it was a private business, like a bar, then they have no business telling people they can't smoke there.

Ding ding ding ding!

As crazy as it may sound, I have no problem with regulating smoking in outdoor public places, but a big problem regulating it in indoor "public" (read: privately owned business) places. But I'm sure we've argued about that before.

DING DING DING

you drinkers are so much better... especially when you get in your cars and drive home

People like drinkers. We're fun!

Things will keep getting worse until the drinkers and smokers stop pointing the finger at each other and finally unite to destroy the healthy people.

*offers handshake to B*

*Chugs his final beer, fumbles for keys, and drives off*

*throws bottle*

*Runs over broken beer bottle, hits tree, and blames B*

people are such bastards with cigarette butts. I used to work at a grocery store and sometimes I'd work outside. I wanted to punch every customer who walked up to the door took their last hall and just dropped the butt on the ground.

I agree w/ this, although the state can regulate public places as it sees fit.

I bike often in the spring and summer and nothing is more offensive to my eyes than the sight of litter in a park -- especially when there are garbage recepticles aplenty throughout.

Is it even possible to enforce littering against people littering one tiny cigarette butt at a time? Would smokers prefer having policemen walk along behind them all day, waiting for them to drop cigarette butts? Those guys also have to go fight crime. Are San Diegans ready for the tax increase necessary for policemen to do their current job AND follow smokers on the beach?

You make it sound like the goal is to enforce every single infraction and create a sole task force, which is obviously unfeasible. However, what's wrong with adding this new ordinance with the other littany of duties a patrol officer has in their normal daily activity?

That's what they're doing. If you see someone smoking. Fine them.

You'll never catch someone for the one second it takes to drop a butt, but you might catch them during the 5-10 mins it takes them to finish the cigarette.