West Hollywood : Protesters Assail New Smoking Ban

Protesters objecting to West Hollywood’s new smoking ban disrupted Monday’s City Council meeting, demanding that the council vote on whether to rescind the three-week old ban. Earlier, the group filed a petition with 1,000 signatures to protest the ban.

The council, however, declined to vote on the issue, and the group of about 20 restaurant owners and their supporters stormed out, booing and waving signs.

City Clerk Vivian Love said she received the petition Monday evening and has not verified the signatures.

Some restaurant owners got the chance to speak during an open forum and told the council that since the ban went into effect Oct. 6, they have been losing business to neighboring cities and have had to lay off employees.

“If I would have known today what the city was going to do to my business, I would have got out a hell of a long time ago,” said Erwin Held, owner of Barney’s Beanery.

Bob Green, a member of the West Hollywood Community Alliance, the group that organized the petition drive, told the City Council, “The smoking ban is unfair to restaurant owners, their employees and ex-employees. I think the city is really picking on them.”