Tobacco Ban Considered for Napa Recreation Spaces

Source from:  By KEVIN COURTNEY Register Staff Writer 11/11/2008

A proposal to ban tobacco products from all Napa recreational spaces is being considered by city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Wednesday night. State law prohibits smoking around tot lots and children's play areas. The county's Tobacco Education Program and city recreation staff are asking for a more comprehensive ban affecting parks, trails and other city open spaces. The ban would not include city sidewalks where smoking would still be OK. Smoking is a "major health hazard," said Peggy Klick, director of the Tobacco Education and Quit Smoking Program run by Community Action of the Napa Valley. Second-hand smoke remains a carcinogen whether breathed indoors or out, Klick said. Further, tossed cigarette butts collect the harmful chemicals in tobacco, presenting a danger to animals and children, she said. In September, representatives of the Tobacco Education Program appeared before the parks commission to ask for a tobacco products ban in parks. Commissioners were strongly supportive, directing staff to come back with a draft policy for public discussion, Chairperson Nadine Wade-Gravett said Monday. Commissioners want to keep parks "a clean and healthy place to be," Wade-Gravett, a health instructor at Napa Valley College, said. There is a growing movement to keep tobacco out of public spaces, Wade-Gravett said. The college has formed a committee to consider whether the campus should be tobacco free, she said. In April, the state-funded anti-tobacco group surveyed 350 Napa area residents about smoking in parks. Seventy-seven percent said they would support a smoke-free policy, program representatives said. "It's a very easy sell compared to 10 years ago," Greg Coleman, the city's recreation superintendent, said Friday. "The war in the trenches occurred … when they removed cigarettes from bars and restaurants." More than 100 California cities have banned tobacco in parks, relying on no smoking signs to encourage self-enforcement, Coleman said. While cities often adopt financial penalties for violations, it's rare that law enforcement gets involved, he said. "This is more of an awareness issue than a criminal issue," Klick said. The commission will consider whether parks should have designated areas where smoking would be permitted. Sixty-eight percent of surveyed residents supported designated smoking areas, Klick said. The vast majority of park users are not smokers, Coleman said. Given today's attitudes toward tobacco, smokers often show restrain when attending sports events, he said. "You're not going to light up when you're watching your 4-year-old play T-ball. It just doesn't happen," Coleman said. The only cost for creating tobacco-free parks would be signage, Coleman said. The Community Resources Department has enough money for signs, he said. The commission will take up a tobacco ban at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the City Hall Council Chambers, 955 School St. Any action by the commission would be advisory to the City Council which would hold its own public hearing. Enditem