City Mulls Widespread Ban on Smoking : Ventura: Proposed ordinance would prohibit people from lighting up in most indoor public places. Reaction in business community is mixed.

The Ventura City Council today will consider a strict new ordinance that would ban smoking in outdoor sports stadiums and theaters, and virtually all indoor public places and businesses except for bars.

As proposed, the sweeping smoking ban would prohibit smokers from lighting up in offices, banks, schools, libraries, shopping malls, public restrooms, hotels, theaters, pool halls, ball fields and restaurants, including those with outdoor seating.

Tobacco vending machines would be limited to bars and other places that have a liquor license.

Smoking would be permitted in bars and at tobacco stores. If a separately ventilated and heating space is available, hotels and motels may designate smoking rooms, provided that at least 50% of the rooms are for nonsmokers.

Restaurants that have bar areas may allow smoking at the bar only if the bar is walled off from the restaurant and has a separate ventilation system.

“Smoking is dangerous to your health, and being around people who smoke is dangerous to your health,” said Mayor Tom Buford, a former smoker who introduced the proposed ban last month. “I don’t see it as a harm to business. Safety and health is a proper area of activity for the government.”

If passed today, the law could take effect as soon as mid-January. But the council may consider delaying implementation of the ban to give business owners extra time to install separate ventilation systems or make other changes.

Ventura County and the cities of Moorpark, Thousand Oaks and Ojai have passed similar anti-smoking laws.

Ventura’s business community had mixed reaction to the proposed ban.

Ventura Chamber of Commerce President Guy Wysinger said he thinks that most business owners will be receptive to the idea.

“Because of the workers’ compensation issues and secondhand smoke, it’s a concern for a business owner,” Wysinger said. “I think most of them would embrace it.”

Sandy Smith, owner of Rosarito Beach Cafe, said few of his customers smoke. At his restaurant, smokers must light up outside. The proposed ban would prohibit smoking in his outdoor seating area, but Smith said he is not worried about angry patrons.

“If I lose that small percentage of customers, it would be worth it,” Smith said, adding that his employees are very concerned about secondhand smoke.

But Ed Warren, owner of Smokey’s Restaurant, said he would be forced to designate his entire restaurant and bar area off-limits to smokers because his bar area is not completely closed off from the dining area. Now, smokers are seated near the bar, he said.

“I’m not crazy about it,” Warren said. “I can’t close off my bar. I think people should have a choice. The people who smoke at my restaurant are all adults.”

Bruce Hobbs, director of sales and marketing for the Doubletree Hotel, said he thinks that a smoking ban is unnecessary.

Few of his patrons smoke. “It’s not a real big issue,” said Hobbs, who smokes half a pack a day. “They just step out to smoke.”

But Hobbs said he is concerned about the financial burden and logistic headache of designating the hotel’s 11 conference-meeting rooms smoking or nonsmoking. Not all of the conference rooms have separate heating and ventilation systems, he said.

“It could be a financial burden on us,” Hobbs said. Under the proposed law, every hotel and restaurant would also be required to post prominent “No Smoking” signs.

Violating the ban would be an infraction, punishable by fines ranging from $100 to $500. But an individual who violates the ordinance more than three times could be prosecuted for a misdemeanor, which could result in a fine of up to $1,000 and jail time of up to one year.

The city’s code enforcement office, which has a staff of four, would be in charge of enforcing the anti-smoking ordinance if it is adopted.

Brian Clark, inspection services coordinator, said the proposed ban would be primarily enforced through complaints.

“We have to depend on the cooperation of people,” Clark said. “We’re not going to have people out there with lights and sirens trying to find smokers.”