It's Official -- Belmont Bans Smoking In Some Homes

[Nomad559]

http://www.nbc11.com/news/14307719/detail.html

The ordinance passed on a 3-2 vote and will go into effect in 30 days, according to City Manager Jack Crist.

The ordinance was introduced by the City Council on Sept. 11, and then approved with a few wording changes at its Sept. 25 meeting.

Thought to be the first of its kind in California, the ordinance declares secondhand smoke a public nuisance and extends the city's current smoking ban to include multi-unit, multi-story residences.

Though Belmont and some other California cities already restrict smoking in multi-unit common areas, Belmont is the first city to extend secondhand smoke regulation to the inside of individual apartment units.

[Mojambo]

1. We really do need to figure out a way to enable people to kill themselves with cigs

without bothering (or killing) other people in the process.

We need to build a better cigarette!

[MADem]

5. Actually, they have. They were too expensive or something...

It vaporized the nicotine without there being any actual smoke, as I recall...

There's always that NICORETTE, the tablets, and the water as well. But I think the smoke is half the fun...like a peace pipe.

[MADem]

2. Well, I don't smoke, but I think that's a bit idiotic.

People who smoke do have nonsmoking friends. And relatives. Are they never to visit them?

And where will the smokers live? Under a bridge somewhere?

Perhaps they can charge the smokers extra, to install a hepa filtered air cleaner in the apartment, and maybe an additional cleaning deposit--but banning an activity that is NOT illegal? That's just .... well, idiotic.

When will they ban the drinking, too? After all, that has potential for harm as well--we know it's drunks that cause those awful accidents and those "COPS" incidents where the police come to the dwelling and arrest fellows in wifebeater tee shirts!

Piss and hair tests as a function of signing a lease, is that next?

Welcome to the Nanny State. When it's smoking, some will say it's good. When it's BushCo looking over one's shoulder though, it ain't so much fun....

[BuyingThyme]

3. Woohoo!

:woohoo:

[AuntPatsy]

4. Meanwhile the price of oil soars and people continue to fly, drive and polute

the very same air they stupidly believe will be clean if only people quit smoking how ludicrous is this country going to get with each new stupid law forced on us.

[LakeSamish706]

6. Yep, I suggest that there are going to be some seriously pissed off...

smokers... However, I know as a reformed smoker how much irresponsible smokers bother me with their second hand smoke.

[mainegreen]

7. Having never met a landlord that enforced the 'no smoking' clause on a lease I say about time.

Every building we've lived in has been 'non-smoking'. We are sure to ask the landlord 'this is non-smoking, right?' They always say 'sure, it says so on your lease'.
But, we move in, and bam, two months later it seems that someone moves in directly adjacent or below us that has a twelve pack a day habit. Suddenly our entire apartment, our non-smoking apartment, stinks like a fucking donkeys ass, and my eyes itch like crazy. So you call the landlord, and he hems and haws and says he'll 'talk to them'. Yeah, yeah, I've heard that story. Doesn't mean shit. And guess what? You have no rights! You can't sue. You can't break your lease. You are fucked.

Since landlords can't be trusted and the law does not favor the renter, it's about time this law got shoved down the landlords throats.

[LakeSamish706]

8. Yep, that's certainly not fair for sure... It's one thing if the smoker owns...

their own home, but if they are renting where non smokers live, I agree with this law.... Theres nothing worse than sucking in second hand smoke and having it burn your eyes, nose etc.

[SoxFan]

9. It's not shoved down the Landlord's throat

The landlord probably lives in a single family house ten miles away. It's the residents who get someone else's notions of proper behavior shoved down their gullet.

[mainegreen]

13. I don't care if someone else smokes in their apartment, except you're smoking in mine too.

You don't have the right to smoke in mine. Proper behavior? I suppose you'd sing a different tune if the guy below you took up the hobby of extracting skunk scent in his apartment. I'm sure you'd take a totally different stance then.

If you could build a building where each apartment was air-tight, no problem.
There are no such buildings (or so few as to be none).

[k8conant]

10. Get off it...you're making this up.

Are you checking in advance to make sure they use no pest control (as in, poison)? Are you making sure no one drinks in the vicinity so you won't smell stale beer? Are you also making sure that no one uses the god-awful toxic perfumes (and especially not on the dishes or in the laundry)? I think you're paranoid.

[mainegreen]

12. Lets see, nope. Not making this up. Had this problem with last *5* landlords.

Your straw man is terrible. Drinking? Last time I checked beer stank, and perfume don't permeate an entire building like the stank of two packs of cigarretes a day, and that is a fact. Period. Pest control? Are you serious? You can't seriously be comparing pest control to cigarette smoke? What landlord comes over and pest bombs your apartment 365 days a year?
And yes, I've called the local free legal service to see what I can do in this situation.
a) You can't force your landlord to enforce the non-smoking clause on someone else's lease.
b) You can't break your lease and keep your deposit in this case either.

So I should take a thousand dollar hit just because most landlords are spineless slugs when it comes to enforcing non-smoking?

Fuck that.

[trumad]

14. Trust me--

the cig smokers on DU will rationalize you to the point of exasperation,

[frustrated_lefty]

11. Fine, fine, fine.

No more super fat upstairs neighbors plomping their Michelin Man feet across the floor in the middle of the night, no more morons next door listening to the shopping network at 3 in the morning, no more snot-filled children spreading their illnesses around my residence and no more morally corrupting influences around my home. Keep your filth to yourself, ya bastards.

[radfringe]

15. if smoking is banned everywhere and made illegal then who will

pay for SCHIP and other similar programs?



we should also increase taxes on beer/wine/other alcholic beverages and use the money to fund health care programs for people/families who have been injured/killed by drunk drivers or otherwise suffered from alcholism

families of alcholics often suffer as a result of someone drinking - beer/alchol should be banned in homes

lets make it easier and reinstate/expand the 18th amendment to include tobacco