Anaheim : No-Smoking Rules Weighed by Council

Once a pack-a-day smoker, Mayor Don Roth said he put away his cigarettes about 12 years ago.

Next month, Roth and his colleagues will be in a position to decide whether others in the city should refrain from smoking in public places and the private work place.

And although Roth said he chose to quit himself, he said he is not sure whether he wants to mandate private businesses, such as restaurants, to do the same.

“I can’t even boil water. I’d hate to tell a guy with a successful restaurant how to run his business,” Roth said.

The City Council, which gave preliminary approval to a smoking ordinance, last Tuesday postponed ironing out how the new law would affect the Anaheim Convention Center and Anaheim Stadium.

Mayor Pro Tem Irv Pickler said language may be added to specify where in the stadium and convention center people may smoke. Some officials have expressed concern that a smoking ordinance would hurt Anaheim’s tourism trade. The city Chamber of Commerce already has objected to the proposed new law and encouraged the council to adopt a voluntary program similar to the one unveiled last month by the Orange County Chamber of Commerce.

Allan B. Hughes, city chamber executive director, said that smoking regulations should be uniform throughout the county and that a volunteer program would create less friction among employees, their colleagues and the employers.

During an afternoon-long public hearing last Tuesday, the council heard testimony from both sides, including representatives from the American Cancer Society and the Tobacco Institute.

If the ordinance is approved, Anaheim will join the ranks of a growing number of county cities that are regulating smoking.