LA PALMA : Smoking Banned in City Buildings

The City Council this week voted unanimously to ban smoking in all city facilities.

La Palma’s restriction will affect few employees because city officials have determined that only two City Hall workers smoke. However, the public will be affected, especially in the city’s Community Center, where groups holding functions must comply with the ban, City Manager Pamela Gibson said.

The council’s action Tuesday brings to 23 the number of Orange County cities with prohibitions or restrictions on smoking in City Hall and other public buildings. La Palma decided to study smoking restrictions after the Orange County division of the League of California Cities surveyed its members to find out which cities had smoking restrictions, said Brigitte Charles, an assistant to Gibson.

Under the recently adopted federal Americans With Disabilities Act, all cities are required to accommodate workers sensitive to cigarette smoke, Charles said.

La Palma had permitted smoking in private offices, lunch and break rooms, community center meeting rooms and the lobby of the Council Chambers. Smoking will now be allowed only outdoors, although there is no penalty for violators.