The ban would also extend to all publicly accessible private land, such as the outdoor areas at the Marketplace and Americana at Brand.
Smokers would be allowed to light up in public only if nonsmokers are at least 20 feet away. The city manager would also have the authority to designate specific areas in the city where smoking is permitted.
On Tuesday, the council is slated to decide which provisions to keep, which to modify and which to throw out.
“If there’s less places to have a cigarette, there’s less opportunities to light up,” said Amiee Klem, president of No Butts Glendale, a grass-roots organization that supports smoking restrictions. “I would love for them to pass [the ordinance] the way it is.”
That may be a tall order for a city that, for the most part, follows standard statewide regulations banning smoking from public building entrances and indoor restaurants, some advocates said.
But they also point to recent statistics that appear to show Glendale’s readiness to join the more than 30 other cities across the Southland that have adopted tougher smoking restrictions.
Glendale health officials in May discovered asthma rates in Glendale jumped about 40% among residents 20 years old and younger from 2004 to 2007. The diagnosis rate for adults aged 25 to 64 increased 105%, according to a report to the Glendale Healthier Community Coalition.
Comprehensive smoking restrictions would no doubt have an impact on the healthcare community’s response to the asthma trend, said Bruce Nelson, community services director for Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
“It’s certainly one of those influences that could play a role,” he said.
