Duarte : Smoking Ban Approved

The City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive smoking ban Tuesday on the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

The ordinance prohibits smoking in public meeting rooms and theaters, and requires restaurants to have at least one-quarter of both the seating capacity and the floor area reserved for nonsmokers.

The ban also regulates smoking in offices and requires at least half the area of lunchrooms or employee lounges to be maintained as nonsmoking.

One provision states that “any employee in the office workplace shall be given the right to designate his or her immediate work area as a nonsmoking area and to post it with appropriate signs.”

Business owners can obtain waivers from the law if, after a public hearing, the City Council decides that compliance would involve undue expense or in cases where smoking would not result in any discomfort or annoyance.