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Things are getting rough for smokers in Hermosa Beach -- a new ordinance has banned them from sucking down their beloved carcinogens in any outdoor place that people congregate, according to the Daily Breeze.
The new regulation, which was approved by the town's City Council in a 4-0 vote on Tuesday night, is expected to go into effect on March 1, 2012. Violators would be fined between $100 and $500, and would be slapped with an administrative violation, not a misdemeanor or infraction.
The Breeze reports that the ban is fairly broad-reaching:
Under the new ordinance, smoking will now be prohibited in all outdoor dining areas, Pier Plaza, the Pier and the Strand, public parks and the Greenbelt between Valley Drive and Ardmore Avenue, all public parking lots and within five feet of any outdoor dining area or city-owned building. Restaurants will also be banned from distributing match books, a long-practiced marketing trend that city officials say promotes cigarette smoking.
Hermosa Beach already has extensive bans on smoking, including at bars and restaurants. A number of business owners came to the City Council meeting to oppose the ban, saying that it would hurt their livelihoods.
"This could be the beginning of the end of a lot of businesses down there," Pier Plaza restaurateur Gary Vincent told the Breeze. "It's basically sending a message that if you smoke, we don't want you coming into Hermosa Beach."
