Oxnard to Study Shift in Smoking Regulations : Health: Officials agree on need to review their law after nearby jurisdictions toughen limits, but have not formulated any changes.

An anti-smoking campaign that has swept across Ventura County will arrive Tuesday in Oxnard, where leaders of the business-friendly city say they will weigh health concerns against the potential for harming small businesses.

The Oxnard City Council will consider revising the city’s 6-year-old smoking law, which allows employers to decide whether their workers can light up.

The existing ordinance prohibits smoking in office restrooms, lounges and receptions areas, but does not regulate smoking in restaurants, stores and other establishments.

Following adoption of tough no-smoking laws in other Ventura County cities, Oxnard officials agreed on the need to review their law, but have yet to formulate any suggested changes.

Health advocates are lobbying for more restrictive regulations, while smokers’ rights advocates are urging city leaders to leave the ordinance unchanged. Some council members say they haven’t decided whether further restrictions are needed.

“Health is a very important concern,” said Councilman Andres Herrera, a former smoker who kicked the habit about nine years ago. “But it’s also important that we don’t jeopardize the health of the entities that provide employment and provide an economic base for us as well.”

Councilman Tom Holden, who gave up smoking eight years ago, said he has received about a dozen calls from residents opposed to changing the existing ordinance.

“I feel people should be protected from the effects of secondhand smoke, but I also have a concern for freedom of choice,” he said. “I think it’s time to listen to the residents and business owners, and hear what they have to say.”

In cities where the issue has already been decided, residents and business owners have had plenty to say.

About 200 Camarillo residents packed a public hearing last week while city officials were considering new no-smoking laws. Following the four-hour hearing, the Camarillo City Council adopted an ordinance that bans smoking in most public places, including all restaurants and most other businesses.

Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Ojai and Moorpark, along with unincorporated parts of Ventura County, have all adopted similar laws.

Of cities lobbied by the Smoking Action Coalition of Ventura County to enact new laws, only Simi Valley has declined to toughen its smoking ordinance.

The coalition, formed in 1987, is made up of the executive directors and members of the Ventura County medical and dental societies and the Ventura County chapters of the heart, lung and cancer societies.

Last month, Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez ordered review of the city’s smoking ordinance.

A report prepared by city staff members detailed the efforts by other cities to regulate smoking. The staff report made no recommendations, but asked for City Council guidance on what restrictions, if any, would be best.

Lopez could not be reached Friday for comment. But in an interview last week, he said he favored revising the no-smoking law.

“I’m leaning toward supporting an ordinance that would provide real protections against secondhand smoke,” he said. “The evidence is in, and I think it’s clear what kind of danger that secondhand smoke presents to nonsmokers.”

But business leaders said Friday that they are worried that tough new regulations will drive customers away from restaurants and other small businesses.

“We are always concerned about any undue restrictions on business,” said Don Facciano, executive director of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce. “Most people forget, we have an ordinance already and it seems to be working.”