Smoking May Be Banned in City Buildings

No-smoking signs would be required in city-owned buildings across Los Angeles under a measure that received preliminary approval Tuesday from the City Council.

The ban, which was approved 10 to 2, will apply to City Hall and all other public facilities. City-operated restaurants and lounges, such as those at golf courses and Los Angeles International Airport, will be exempt.

The two councilmen who opposed the measure, Richard Alatorre and Nate Holden, said that forcing city employees to leave City Hall for a smoke would interrupt their workday. But Councilman Marvin Braude, who introduced the measure, said the ban would create a healthier and more productive work force.

The blanket prohibition is part of Braude’s 17-year campaign to wipe out smoking across the city. A former two-pack-a-day smoker, he has been author of smoking bans for elevators, supermarkets and medical facilities, and he has pushed through mandatory no-smoking sections in restaurants.

His effort to ban smoking outright in restaurants has been voted down twice in recent years amid heavy lobbying by restaurateurs. Braude reintroduced the restaurant ban last week for consideration in 1993.