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Home > What's New > Banned from the Beach
Banned from the Beach
Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004
By Michael Moretti Just when you thought it was safe to go smoke at the seashore, a ban strikes.
Malibu, home to surfers and movie stars, passed legislation recently to prohibit smoking on the beach. It is the latest municipality in Southern California to do so, following suit with San Clemente in Orange County, Solana Beach in San Diego County, and Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica. The Malibu ban will go into effect in late June.
City council members said the ban was needed because of the amount of litter from cigarette butts on the beach and the reported dangers of secondhand smoke. They voted for the legislation, 4 to 1. The ban was originally being considered only for the beach, but was expanded, prohibiting smoking on the pier except in designated areas. The penalty for violators caught smoking is $250.
Mayor Sharon Barovsky said, "Malibu is working hard to improve water quality along the coast and the last thing we need is toxic chemicals from cigarette butts leaking into the ocean. This is another step in the right direction."
"The goal is to make 1,000-plus miles of coastline in California smoke-and cigarette butt-free," said L.A. County city councilman Jack Weiss in a report from MSNBC, "and everybody wants to participate in this one, and no one, no one wants to become the dreaded smokers' beach in California."
Those still wishing to light up in Malibu will have to evacuate and go to one of the bordering parking lots. Also in Cigar News:
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