Hotel Group Backs Workplace Smoking Ban : Legislation: Switch by association boosts chances of bill that would impose the most sweeping restrictions of any state.

A hotel owners association that had been a leading foe of a bill to ban workplace smoking switched positions Tuesday, boosting chances that the measure will clear the Legislature this year.

In making the announcement, Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Brentwood) said the endorsement by the California Hotel & Motel Assn. defuses a main argument against his proposed smoking ban--that it would damage the tourism industry.

“This leaves the tobacco industry virtually alone, unable to seek cover by pointing to some other legitimate organization’s arguments,” Friedman said.

Applying to most indoor workplaces, the bill would create the most sweeping smoking restrictions of any state and would allow cities to impose even tougher smoking ordinances.

Friedman said he won the hotel owners’ endorsement after agreeing to amend his bill to allow smoking in 65% of hotel rooms, in hotel lobbies, in banquet rooms during private gatherings and, temporarily at least, in bars.

The bill would require the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop standards regulating smoking in bars by 1997. If Cal-OSHA fails to develop the standards, Friedman said, the ban would extend to bars.

Friedman said he intends to push for passage of the bill this month in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the legislation stalled last year. If it wins Senate approval, the bill would have to return to the Assembly for approval of the Senate amendments. It is not known whether Gov. Pete Wilson would sign the bill.

James Abrams, director of the hotel association, called the organization’s new position “good public policy.”

The hotel association was among the most active lobbyists against the bill last year. The possibility remains that individual hotel owners might continue to oppose the smoking ban.

“It’s always a risk when you get involved in controversial issues that some of your members will not agree with you,” Abrams said. “We hope none of them would feel (it) would be grounds to leave the organization.”

Hotel association lobbyists had contended that a smoking ban would result in California hotels losing tourist trade to states with few smoking restrictions. Several lawmakers cited that argument in their opposition to Friedman’s measure.

Meanwhile, Lee Stitzenberger of the Dolphin Group, a political consulting firm in Westwood, said he will continue efforts to qualify an initiative for the November ballot to repeal all local smoking bans.

“I have seen nothing to change my mind” about moving forward with the initiative, Stitzenberger said.

The initiative, backed by tobacco giant Philip Morris U.S.A., would remove most smoking restrictions and generally leave it to individual business owners to decide smoking policy.