Camarillo Considers Smoking Restrictions

The Camarillo City Council today will consider banning smoking in restaurants, businesses and virtually all indoor public places.

If the ordinance is approved, Camarillo will become the fifth Ventura County city to tighten its smoking restrictions since Moorpark began the trend in July.

The Camarillo ordinance would prohibit smoking in indoor public places, such as banks, restaurants, coin laundries, educational facilities, theaters, shopping malls, elevators, pool halls and sports arenas.

Bars would be exempted, but restaurant bars could allow smoking only if they have a separate ventilation system.

The Camarillo ordinance stops short of banning smoking in hotels and motels, as long as half of the rooms are designated as nonsmoking. The selling or dispensing of tobacco products from vending machines would also be prohibited, except for machines in bars.

Mayor Ken Gose said he is waiting to hear how residents feel about the proposal before deciding how he will vote.

“I have to wait for the public,” Gose said. “Normally, I am very reluctant to vote to take away peoples’ rights. But on the other hand, people have the right not to breathe secondhand smoke.”

But Councilman David Smith said he supports the ordinance and expects it to pass.

“I would suspect it will go through,” he said. “My expectation is that there will be strong support for the ordinance. I will support it.”

City Manager J. William Little said the proposal has been met with criticism.

“We’ve got the usual comments . . . mainly from the restaurant industry,” he said, explaining that restaurateurs are worried that the strict ordinance would drive customers to restaurants that allow smoking.

“Economically, I just don’t believe that’s the case,” Little said.

But some Camarillo restaurant owners and managers disagree.

“I’ve had a couple of customers say, ‘You won’t be seeing us if we can’t smoke,’ ” said Laurie Swisher, manager of Garfields Bar & Grill. Since Garfields does not have separate bar and restaurant areas, Swisher said it would probably have to comply with the ordinance and prohibit all customers from smoking.

“I think it would affect us. I think people who do come in and smoke will not like it,” she said. “I don’t know if people will stop coming in, but what can you do? Probably 40% of our business is smokers.”

Mary Hunt, co-owner of the Camarillo Seafood Parlor & Saloon, said her restaurant won’t be affected, but she voiced concern for others.

“Most of my clientele are nonsmoking,” Hunt said. “I think that it will make it easier for me, but I feel badly for other restaurant owners it’s going to hurt.”

Little said the city began getting letters urging a tougher ordinance after Moorpark adopted its law. Since then, Thousand Oaks, Ojai and Ventura have passed similar anti-smoking laws, and Ventura County has adopted new restrictions for unincorporated areas.

Little said city officials have studied these ordinances to create one for Camarillo.

The council will take a tentative vote after hearing public comments tonight. If approved on a second reading in two weeks, the ordinance would go into effect 30 days later, although the city would give businesses 10 months to make ventilation and structural changes.

FYI

The Camarillo City Council will meet at 5 p.m. today at City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive.