CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : VISALIA : Petition Drive Halts Ban on Smoking

A petition signed by about 5,200 Visalia residents has temporarily thwarted the city’s planned smoking ban. City officials ruled that the controversial ordinance wouldn’t go into effect Thursday as expected. State law requires voters to decide on the law if more than 3,200 of the signatures are valid. The ordinance was approved by the City Council on Sept. 3. It bans smoking in most public places, including restaurants. But the petition in protest of the ban was presented to city officials Tuesday, two days before planned enactment of the ordinance. Officials are checking the signatures to determine how many are valid.