West Covina : Smoking Ban Expanded

The West Covina City Council has voted to prohibit smoking in the council chambers and at public counters in City Hall. The council also voted to require all city department heads to develop policies that provide for a smoke-free environment.

Previously, the city had prohibited smoking in City Hall elevators, all city recreation centers and in parts of the council chambers, and had refused to hire firefighters who had smoked within a year of application for the job.

Councilwoman Nancy Manners, who pushed for the expanded smoking ban, proposed that a single policy be adopted for all departments, but Councilmen Kenneth Chappell and Robert Bacon opted to allow each department to set its own policy.