Glendale moves to ban smoking in new apartments, condos
The Glendale City Council on Tuesday moved to ban smoking in all new apartment and condominium units, give individuals the right to sue others who break smoking rules and increase the distance between smokers and non-smokers in outdoor dining areas.
Since 2008, Glendale has implemented a variety of smoking bans at common areas, private balconies and patios in multi-unit buildings. Many wide-sweeping prohibitions have taken effect, but there have also been tweaks to the rules, making smoking restrictions a recurring topic of discussion at City Hall.
The proposed ban on smoking in new condo and apartment developments may affect roughly 2,000 units springing up in downtown. The developments could apply for an outdoor smoking permit, but they’d have to pay about $200 in addition to $50 annually as a registration fee and set up the space in a way approved by city officials.
“We got to try to make an effort,” Mayor Dave Weaver said.
The proposal was unanimously supported on the dais, but council members declined to extend the restrictions to existing multi-unit development — similar to what’s been done in cities such as Pasadena — saying it would be too difficult to enforce.
In fact, the ability of the city to enforce any new anti-smoking rule would be a challenge, officials said.
“Folks are going to smoke,” said City Manager Scott Ochoa in asking council members to temper their expectations. “You’re not going to get 100% of everyone to do everything that you want.”
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