Alhambra Gives Smoking Bingo Players a Break : Fund Raising: Catholic church and Jewish temple lost money after city banned smoking in public, so they persuaded officials to reverse decision for bingo games.

St. Therese Church and Temple Beth Torah share a problem.

Bingo. Or more specifically, bingo and smoking.

Ever since the city’s smoking ban went into effect in July, the two religious organizations have been struggling with declining attendance at their formerly lucrative, weekly bingo nights.

At least half of the bingo players smoke at the games, said temple bingo chairman Sam Schiffman. The Alhambra ban prompted smokers to take their business elsewhere. Wekly attendance tumbled from about 190 players to 130, and the temple needs 150 players to break even, he said.

“They were people who were regular players,” Schiffman said of those who left. “It hurts. We had a three-month period when we did not make any money for the Temple.”

At St. Therese, which sponsors bingo games on Thursday nights to raise money for the St. Therese School, attendance fell in half, down to just 60 players, said principal Paul McLaughlin. Consistently losing money on the bingo games in recent months, the church is on the verge of ending its bingo nights, he said.

The City Council decided Monday night to come to the rescue, voting to introduce an ordinance that would exempt bingo nights sponsored by religious or charitable groups from the smoking ban. The exemption would apply only if the games aren’t in city-owned buildings.

Under the proposed ordinance, bingo sponsors would have to install smoke reducers in the ceiling and provide smoke-filtering ashtrays. If the bingo room has more than 40 players, at least 25% of the seats must be reserved for nonsmokers.

The proposed ordinance, scheduled for a final vote Jan. 8, is an attempt to solve what apparently is a problem unique to Alhambra. “We’re the only city that I’ve heard of that’s come up against this,” said Philip Hofmann, a management assistant for the city.

In Pasadena, which adopted a smoking ban in 1984, smoking isn’t permitted at bingos, but there have been no complaints about the restriction, said Mel Lim, an environmental health specialist for the city.

Pasadena enforces its ban only after complaints, Lim said. Alhambra officers, in contrast, have been actively enforcing the ban.

At least 52 of the state’s 456 cities have adopted smoking restrictions in recent years, but it is not known how many specifically restrict smoking at bingo games or how many are adopting exemptions to ease their bans, said Lucy Hogan, a research librarian for the League of California cities.

Some cities with general smoking bans, such as Beverly Hills, have been loosening restrictions gradually. For example, smoking was originally banned in all restaurants but is now allowed in a restaurant’s cocktail lounge and bar, said City Clerk Jean Ushijima.

For Temple Beth Torah, the Alhambra Council’s decision Monday is a mixed blessing. Although allowing smoking would attract more players, Schiffman said, a change in policy would be yet another adjustment for bingo organizers, who have been advertising their “100% no-smoking games” as a positive aspect. He said the strategy has attracted some nonsmoking players.

But for St. Therese Church, the council’s decision is a relief. Proceeds from the games bring in about $18,000 a year, or 5% of the school’s budget, McLaughlin said. The money has been used to start a kindergarten and also funds scholarships and computer equipment, he said.

The games are also an important social outlet for many senior citizens, McLaughlin said. Frequently, players show up two hours before the games start just to chat with friends, he said.

“We still are trying to build our business back up,” McLaughlin said, adding that city officials have indicated the smoking ban would not be actively enforced now that an exemption has been proposed. But having lost so many regular players, he said, the task will not be easy.