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Glendale Smokers Sputter About New Smoking Ban
Yesterday was about more ire than tobacco sparking on the streets of Glendale, as it marked the kick off for a new ban on "smoking in hallways of apartment complexes and in public areas - including parks, parking lots and parking structures, and even standing in line to use the ATM."
The Daily News reports that some area residents are angered about the ban, citing some as feeling their rights as Americans are being denied. However, those in charge in Glendale see it another way: "City officials argue that the rights of nonsmokers need to be respected. They encourage residents to quit, especially at a time when study after study points to the health risks of smoking."
Glendale adopted the ban last month, having been inspired by similar bans in other Southern Californian cities such as Santa Monica, Calabasas, and Burbank. Right now authorities in Glendale intend only on issuing warnings to violators during a few months' grace period, but plan on giving out tickets for $100 for first-time offenders starting in the springtime. Ticketing in Burbank has caused an uproar by some, but the city itself is probably quite happy when smokers don't wait to exhale: "As of Oct. 19, there had been more than 800 citations issued there, according to the Burbank Police Department."
If this were Glendale, he'd be in trouble! | Photo by paulvonspector via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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