Brea : Council to Weigh Ban on Smoking in Public

A proposed ordinance to prohibit smoking in public places but allow businesses to regulate smoking in the workplace will be considered by the Brea City Council next month.

The council members decided last week to ask the Brea Chamber of Commerce to develop a “self-regulating” policy for private employers within 90 days, according to Denise Ovrom, assistant city manager.

The ordinance that council members will vote on in July resembles a smoking policy adopted in May, and later revised, by the county Board of Supervisors. The supervisors first asked the county chamber to develop smoking rules for voluntary compliance. When the chamber later decided not to participate, the board voted to let private businesses come up with a voluntary plan for regulating smoking in the workplace.

Brea’s proposed ordinance bans smoking in the city’s public meeting rooms, theaters, auditoriums, public restrooms and indoor service lines. It also prohibits smoking in restaurants that seat more than 50 people unless the restaurant designates at least a quarter of its dining area non-smoking.

Smaller restaurants, such as cafes and sandwich shops that seat fewer than 50 people, would be exempt.