SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Council OKs New Smoking Ordinance
Go ahead and smoke in city bars, but not in local restaurants unless it’s on an outdoor patio.
Those are the provisions of a new city ordinance banning smoking in all restaurants that was introduced Tuesday night by unanimous vote of the City Council. The council ban, suggested by Mayor Gil Jones, would toughen an already strict anti-smoking ordinance passed in September, 1991. The measure requires a second reading and vote in about 30 days before it becomes law.
Under the previous ordinance, restaurants with 50 seats or more were required to maintain 75% of all space as a nonsmoking area. But because few restaurant owners had complained, the council decided to ban smoking outright to promote health, Jones said.
“I am happy to lead the effort to have all restaurants be 100% nonsmoking,” he said. “Everywhere I go, the restaurant owners tell me the ordinance would be easier for them to work with if it was 100% rather than 75%.”
Outdoor patios and bars would be exempt from the ordinance. Bars in restaurants that are separated from the eating areas would also be exempt.
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