San Jose City Council Approves Smoke-Free Parks Ordinance
San Jose, Calif. – To the joy of numerous community and health advocates in attendance, the San Jose City Council voted today to approve an ordinance prohibiting smoking in all of the city’s parks. With the support of an overwhelming majority of the council, the new ban was hailed by its supporters as a key policy to ensure the city’s parks remain safe, healthy and family-friendly environments.
“The health and well being of our children is extremely important to me and by banning smoking in public parks in San Jose, we are taking one more step forward as advocates of public health and safety for all,” said Vice Mayor Dave Cortese who sponsored the proposal with Councilmember Madison Nguyen. “In speaking with numerous school children about this issue, I have found that the response to the question of whether or not the City of San Jose should ban smoking in public parks has been a unanimous, ‘yes’ from our young San Jose residents. “
Added Councilmember Nguyen, “I am not trying to deny a person’s prerogative to smoke. However, I believe that residents of San Jose deserve safe, healthy, and clean parks. Last Spring, Los Angeles faced a tragic fire in Griffith Park where nearly 20% of the land was destroyed because a man fell asleep on a park bench while smoking. San Jose doesn’t need to go through the same misfortune.”
The ordinance amends the city’s municipal code to ban smoking on sidewalks, trails and pathways in or around park facilities, park strips and any other groups of city parks. The policy does make an exception for city golf courses, however smoking will be prohibited within 25 feet of buildings on golf courses as well as libraries and community centers. The council also directed city staff to work with stakeholders to develop an implementation plan that includes utilizing cost effective signage and informing the community of the new ordinance.
The policy was first proposed by Breathe California and the San Jose Tobacco Free Collaborative who sought to promote a healthier community by protecting park goers from secondhand smoke. The policy was then introduced by Vice Mayor Cortese and Councilmember Nguyen in June and later received the recommendation of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and Senior Citizens Commission.
“Parks should be places where children and families can go without having to be exposed to the many toxins contained in tobacco smoke,” said Margo Sidener, President & CEO of Breathe California in San Jose. “We are thrilled that the city council shares our commitment to protecting the public from secondhand smoke and fostering a healthier community.”
San Jose is now the latest to join a growing list of California cities – which includes San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and most recently, Oakland – to ban smoking in city parks. Secondhand smoke is a group A carcinogen and has been classified as a Toxic Air Contaminant by the California Air Resources Board. According to the Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, which can increase the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in non-smokers by 25 to 30 percent. Secondhand smoke is responsible for approximately 50,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
Media Contact: Dave Low
(408) 998-5865, david@lungsrus.org