A stroll and a cigarette? Not in Long Beach

Long Beach has joined more than 140 other California municipalities that have banned or partially banned smoking in city parks.

The move further shrinks the locations where smokers can legally light up in the city, with smoking already banned in restaurants, bars, beaches and bus stops.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to pass the ordinance, which covers all city parks, sports fields and hiking trails, among other sites.

The issue initially came before the council when Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal sought to prohibit smoking at smaller parks because it’s more difficult for nonsmokers and children to avoid smoke in confined spaces. The Parks and Recreation Commission then proposed expanding the ordinance to cover all city parks and recreation areas.

The law is one of the strongest in California and is part of an increasing trend among cities opting for a more blanket approach to regulations, said Paul Knepprath, vice president for advocacy and health initiatives for the American Lung Assn. in California.

“Long Beach has always been at the forefront of comprehensive indoor air policy and is now setting the standard for protecting people from smoke in outdoor areas,” Knepprath said.

The ban is indicative of Long Beach’s longtime support of a healthy environment for residents and visitors who participate in recreational activities, Lowenthal said. “It certainly is keeping with our progressive culture when dealing with public health in our city,” she said.

The ban does not apply to the city’s municipal golf courses because children are less likely to be exposed to smoke there and city officials feared possible revenue losses. It also exempts filming and other special events.

Under the ordinance, those caught smoking in recreational areas will be fined $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense within a year and $500 for each subsequent violation within a year of the previous offenses.

Deleth Caspeta, a 17-year-old senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, voiced her support for the measure to the council. She later told The Times that she helped push for the ban because of her experiences feeling ill after breathing in secondhand smoke while waiting for the school bus in the sixth grade before it was banned.

“We would get headaches from just waiting there,” Caspeta said. “This will be something good for future students and generations.”

Councilman James Johnson expressed concern that the lack of a requirement for signs warning of the new law would result in tickets to smokers who were unaware of the regulation. Lowenthal disagreed, saying that much like other bans on smoking in town, word will get out. Temporary signs will be placed in parks warning visitors of the law.

stephen.ceasar@latimes.com