In the words of City Councilman Scott Malsin, a blanket prohibition on smoking “is not a burning issue in Culver City.”
Further, said Vice Mayor Carol Gross, the matter is so inconsequential to residents that not a single one bothered to stop by last night’s City Council meeting to comment.
Before the Council squeakily approved a heavily watered down version of Councilman Gary Silbiger’s original prohibition proposal, two representatives of anti-smoking organizations were the only persons who spoke up. Both emphasized the success of their campaigns, noting that the popularity of smoking has declined to record low levels, around 15 percent statewide.
Mr. Silbiger, the force behind getting the proposal on the Council agenda, wanted his colleagues to prohibit smoking in four major public and private arenas:
- All outdoor dining areas.
- All outdoor events.
- All outdoor service areas, such as standing in line for theatre tickets.
- All common areas of apartment/condo buildings.
Mr. Silbiger added one more tentative condition last night: No smoking within 20 feet of a government building.
“That is ridiculous,” hmphed Ms. Gross.
Looking Out for Others
After listening to a report asserting that 38,000 American deaths each year are blamed on second-hand smoke, Mr. Silbiger said his proposal should be framed as “an opportunity to help those who are being harmed by second-hand smoke.”
Attempting to bolster his case, Mr. Silbiger reviewed restrictions that surrounding communities have approved in recent months.
But his claims did not appear to sway his seatmates.
Smoking a Non-Issue?
Mr. Malsin resisted key portions of Mr. Silbiger’s argument on the grounds that owners could regulate themselves.
The incidence of smoking is non-existent in Culver City. Smoking, medically or philosophically, has not been in dispute for years.
Last night’s debate among Council remembers revolved far more around philosophy and a sense of freedom, virtually not at all around health.
The longer Ms. Gross spoke, the stiffer her resolve became.
She Feared Interference
If smoking were to be banned in most or all public (and residential) gathering places, Ms. Gross worried that watchdog momentum would build and threaten to get out of hand. She wondered where government intrusion would end.
Would government next try to tell people what they could and could not eat? Ms. Gross asked. “There is a point where government goes too far,” said the former nurse.
Drawing a contrast with the perceived harder line stance of Mr. Silbiger, Ms. Gross said, “I am not here to impose my value system on anyone else.”
Enforcement also worried her. “That is my biggest issue,” Ms. Gross said. Rhetorically, she asked whether the Police Dept. or another agency would be in charge of enforcement.
“A lot of people believe it will be self-regulating,” said Deputy City Atty. Heather Iker .
Illegal Drivers a More Serious Threat?
If 85 out of every 100 Californians does not smoke, as partisans claim, said Councilman Steve Rose, he is far more concerned about the double-barreled threat of unlicensed drivers and uninsured drivers prowling Westside streets.
“Taking just one of those kinds of vehicles and drivers off the roads each day would do far more good for us than a smoking ban,” Mr. Rose said.
‘A Ban Is Inevitable’
Even Mayor Alan Corlin, a strong advocate of a smoking ban who believes that outlawing is inevitable, acknowledged that wrinkles without easy answers loom.
“We have three smoke shops in town,” he gave, as an example.
In the event a broad smoking ban were to be imposed, “I don’t know what you do with them.”
As a vote neared following a 45-minute discussion, Mr. Silbiger may have seen the smoke rings on the wall. Determined not to lose another proposition, he, in a departure from tradition, declined to make a motion on his own proposal. He indicated it would have a better chance of passing, in some form, if another Council member took the lead.
His Motivation
The job fell to Mr. Corlin, the mayor, who did, indeed, see smoke rings on the wall.
“I will make the motion because I think this is important,” he said.
After shrinking the original Silbiger proposal because “I can count the votes,” he shrewdly admitted that if he did not trim the plan, the whole proposal would fail.
His successful motion called only for a smoking ban in outdoor dining areas.
The supporting vote was 3 to 2, with Mr. Malsin and Mr. Rose dissenting.
COUNCIL NOTES —“Leah Lane” was identified as the new name of the formerly no-name roadway to the still-close Dog Park, which is scheduled to re-open next week, Thursday, Dec. 20, even as construction on Phase II of The Making of a Dog Park continues. Vicki Daly Redholtz, Chair of the Friends of the Dog Park, and Rich Kissell, secretary, said that the year and a half old Dog Park has far exceeded projections. Hundreds visit the park daily, Ms. Daly Redholtz said. Installation of lights is their next target…The activist Cary Anderson, video camera in hand, continued his weekly campaign to toughen what he feels is the badly understated amount of equipment enforcement at the new Skateboard Park…Five panelists — Fred Fate, Director of the L.A. City College Theatre Academy, Ben Hong, assistant principal cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Janice Pober of Sony Pictures, Jeannine Stehlin, Executive Director of Circus Theatricals, and Lula Washington, founder of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre — chose the Cultural Affairs Commission’s Performing Arts Grant winners. Of the 16 applicants, the We Tell Stories reading project at the Julian Dixon Library ranked at the top. It asked and received $8,000. The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Culver City High School asked and received $5,000. The Definiens Project asked and received $6,000. The College Dance Theatre asked and received $4,000 for a March 22 performance at the Bandini Art Gallery. Vox Femina Los Angeles asked and received $4,000. Benita Bike’s DanceArt, Inc., asked for $1,700 and received twice the amount, $3,400. The Culver City Chamber Orchestra asked for $5,000 and received $4,000. The Westchester Symphony Society asked for $10,000 and received $5,500.The WCB Arts Foundation, Inc. asked for $5,000 and received $4,000. The Culver City Public Theatre, Inc. asked for $10,000 and received $5,000. The L.A. Contemporary Dance Company asked for $7,000 and received $3,500…The Los Angeles Area Veterans’ Artists Alliance asked for $2,500 and received $2,000. The Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra asked for $3,100 and received $2,000. The Three Chairs Theatre Company asked for $3,000 and received $1,000. The NACUSA-L.A. and the Nom de Guerre Theatre Guild were rejected…
