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Smoking Could Get Banned at 87 Parks in Long Beach
Photo by chimothy27 via Flickr
Of the 153 parks in Long Beach, 87 of them are considered small. That's small as in less than five acres and even down to the size of a "glorified median." Nonetheless, one smoker in a small park could mean everyone else is dealing with it. "I tend to go to a lot of smaller parks," Long Beach City Councilmember Suja Lowenthal, who wants city staff to draft an ordinance, told the Press Telegram. "I notice that when folks are smoking, there are not very many places you can go in a small pocket park to get away from that."
State law already prohibits smoking within 25 feet of playground or sandbox area, but not all parks have those facilities. Lowenthal said she'd be willing to see the ban placed on parks with at least three acres or less. 73 of the city's parks are three acres or less with 51 one of those under one acre. Another 14 are three to five acres.
The motion will go before the city council on Tuesday.
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