County Bans Smoking at 2 Beaches

Following the lead of Santa Monica, Malibu and other coastal cities, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ban smoking at two county beaches this summer.

The new rule, in effect through mid-September, affects Mothers Beach in Marina del Rey and Topanga Beach near Malibu.

“Smokers look at the beach and see one big ashtray,” Robert Berger, chairman of the county’s task force on the subject, told the board. Cigarette butts pollute the ocean and harm marine life, he said, and small children sometimes pluck them from the sand and pop them into their mouths.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky also cited the dangers of secondhand smoke as he pushed for the temporary ban. Some supervisors had reservations.

During a debate last week, Supervisor Gloria Molina said, “My problem with this issue is whether it’s just a fad.”

She abstained from Tuesday’s 4-0 vote.

Supervisor Don Knabe also expressed reservations, saying that lifeguards should be focused on swimmers, not smokers. “I’m willing to try this,” he said. “But when you’re at the beach, you want the eyes facing forward, not backwards.”