[KHTS] – Santa Clarita City Council unanimously approved the regulation of electronic smoking devices, or ESDs, at its Tuesday night meeting.
The council first considered the matter in April and put the move on hold to allow time for consideration of public comments.
The ordinance would define the use of all forms of ESDs as smoking.
Because of the evidence that ESDs are becoming the primary method of nicotine delivery to youth, considering the direct marketing the industry has aimed at children and youth, the ordinance would ban e-cigarettes in many public places, according to Tuesday’s agenda report.
E-cigarettes will be prohibited from places of employment, restaurants and bars, city facilities, city vehicles, public places and city parks, trails and open spaces – except that they could be used in vaping stores and in “bars and restaurants where explicitly allowed by state law.”
There were six written complaints and 11 verbal complaints primarily regarding the use of ESDs on public transit and within enclosed public areas, said presenter Jessica Frank, the associate planner for the city of Santa Clarita.
An increasing number of medical marijuana users are now using ESDs as a method of self-administering marijuana (hash) oil or Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) infused wax, according to the report.
Although the Santa Clarita City Council unanimously approved the ordinance, Councilman TimBen Boydston and Councilman Dante Acosta were more sensitive to the vaping community.
A number of people contacted Boydston directly about how they were able to quit smoking through vaping, he said.
Contrary to claims that ESDs help smokers successfully quit traditional cigarettes, there is no scientific evidence proving these devices are viable as nicotine replacement therapy or a cessation aid, according to the report.
Boydston made the argument of “carving out areas for the public that is trying to quit,” however the other councilmembers did not support.
In the end, Boydston and Acosta voted yes on the ordinance because it may protect the children.
Three speakers, Steve Petzold, Cam Noltemeyer and Brian Viggianelli, addressed the Santa Clarita City Council Tuesday night about the ordinance.
“I believe in liberty. … Cats don’t equal dogs. Tobacco is not vapor,” said Petzold. “I would like each one of you to consider, if you were looking at your son in the face and he was vaping in front of you would you say, ‘I wish you would go to tobacco.’”
Petzold has a son that uses vapor to remain alert while he’s studying. Petzold said he would much rather have him vaping than smoking cigarettes.
Noltemeyer supported the ordinance, “it’s time that this community heard it… We have a drug problem in this city and you can’t continue to bury your heads in the sand. This is nothing more than a drug problem… You don’t allow the pot shops, so why do you let them to run free like this.”
Eight written comment cards were also in favor of passing the ordinance.
Viggianelli was representing the Vapor Dept. located in Santa Clarita.
“I can tell you that, for the vapor shop I work with and all the other vapor shops in the surrounding area, we don’t sell anything that has to do with marijuana. We are a community of people that are trying to provide alternatives for people that are looking to get off of smoking cigarettes,” said Viggianelli. “People that use marijuana will always find different ways of smoking or using marijuana and it is not the same, nor is it even used by the shops in Santa Clarita.”
Viggianelli wanted more research to be done to make a clear distinction between what vaporizer shops in Santa Clarita have available and the use of marijuana.
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136 Comments
What a joke.
Kyle Florence
Why is a 12 year old depicted in this? Ban kids fine, but adults can and should be allowed to use an e-cig :O
“places of employment, restaurants and bars, city facilities, city vehicles, public places and city parks, trails and open spaces” That pretty much covers everywhere in the SCV except for schools.
Already prohibited in schools
Will and Norberg. Puff on your douche kazoos in the street.
Brittany Marie Combs SO ridiculous.
Wooooooow who wants to get this repealed? Let’s do it. Because this is ridiculous.
Kristoffer Cruz haha
How stupid do you have to be?
You realize why E-cigs were even made right? To eliminate the danger of second hand smoke, and to provide people with a healthier alternative to cigarettes… way to go.
This is great…more far too many years smokers have contaminated our bodies with their filthy habits.
Tell them on the bus #5-6 as when the kids from Bowman smoke all the time and the driver says nothing. .
So that makes vaping in this city illegal except for your in own home. Yet, cigarettes can still be smoked in open spaces, parks, trails, and a few bars.
I have stopped smoking cigs over 2 years ago using Vape. there is NO harmful effect on people and NO 2nd smoke hazard.totally controlled by Big tabaco and stupid people.
Stupid! Kim Crowley Fleming
They tried to illegalize the sale of these in Utah. They failed.
Just go back to smoking if they are going to ban ecigs
Ridiculousness…they have nothing better to do than legislate their own morality into law….too bad it’s not illegal to be prideful and stupid…
?
Wow, not sure why your advertising a child for this, I think that’s more disturbing than the law changing. It’s just like smoking a cigarette and since those are banned its not unusual, people need to get with the program. But I guess til they themselves or someone in their family is diagnosed with second hand smoke cancer, they will understand. Cause as a mother, I will be dammed if my child were to be a patient of lung cancer cause people can’t be respectful while smoking in public.
…great now recovering smokers still get to be outcasts they may even say whats the point and go back to smoking the harmful stuff again good job.
I think a lot of the problem is.. I don’t want smoke floating around me when I’m out to eat, at a bar, or places like that. It’s just annoying that it’s ruining visibility.
Brittany Austin this sucks.
Not smoke. Stop calling it that. Therein lies the biggest misconception. Nothing is burning.
This great news!!!!! Proud to be a resident of SC!
?
I’d love to see how this is going to be enforced.
I don’t Vape, but this is beyond ridiculous.
This is crazy! How can they say u cant smoke e cigs in open space but u can smoke cigarettes? This is really ridiculous!
Not a fan of vaping but this is just going a bit overboard.
Terri Jimenez Neal
This is stupid!
I agree with banning it in restaurants and any public indoor space but to ban it everywhere besides ur own home/car is crazy!!!
Ricky Casados
Land of the Free. Biggest lie of them all.
says the same city thats the ONLY one not to completely remove all of their traffic cameras. says the same city that requested to REINSTATE the police officer who generated the highest revenue in traffic tickets. VAPING saves lives and counters addiction. Obviously nicotine is always going to be around. SMOKING alters your DNA and gives you cancer and it’s publicly acceptable. You can ban vaping ONLY in places where smoking isn’t acceptable. I absolutely dare a police officer to give me a ticket for vaping in public
I would not want me kid to vape or smoke cigarettes. If your child is having a hard time staying up maybe some vitamins as a healthy choice.
how about banning gays from public places??? They are more filthy than smoke…
FYI city council members- you should be more concerned about all the drunks piling out of the bars & restaurants every night. Secondly, SCV has a drug problem and it’s not marijuana, it’s called Heroin. To think you are cracking down on the “drug problem” by banning e cigarettes…. You are even more ignorant and stupid than you sound. Wake up!
Alfredo – you are the definition of filth.
WOW!
Ok we hate smoking I get it but seriously there are people out there using them to quit and if you ban it your just gonna make people smoke.
Teens and young adults vape cuz it’s cool and many in this valley have lots of $$ to buy this stuff. They should be able to smoke in private homes and cars and at the park. Way in the back. Away from people.
Alfredo wins the “most idiotic comment” award!
Matthew Rosales
Great advertising towards children with your choice of picture. I’m sure it will make some children curious to try vaping. Idiots run Santa Clarita no doubt!
Here ya go, a “feel good” city law based on zero facts
Lmao so I can still walk outside of a bar and have a cigarette but can’t use a safer alternative that doesn’t smell like an ashtray or harm anyone else’s health. Smart SCV, real smart.
Believe it or not, people do put drugs in ecigs/vape pens. Waxing is the new trend to smoke marijuana in them and, according to a friend that is in law enforcement, people are putting heroin in them too so they can freely get high in public… http://m.wlky.com/news/teenagers-using-ecigarettes-to-get-high/30567364
Hey then why not ban smoking cigarettes first before vaping.
Ok Carolyn Jones McMahon people could put Marijuana in cigarettes, or dip them in cocaine. This means you are using the product for other reasons than its intended purpose. Under that logic we should ban apples, soda cans, sobe bottles or any of the other thousands of products being used inappropriately. We need smarter laws prohibition never works. Teenagers have been getting high for years before electronic cigarettes. The old saying where there is a will there is a way. This is absolutely the definition of nanny politics at its finest.
Chrias Chun
Carolyn Jones McMahon thats the users choice. wax is unhealthy yes in the sense that it wraps a mucus around the lungs constricting airflow which is detrimental to lung capacity but how does that affect other people..the reason vaping is banned is because people find vape clouds obnoxious. people are going to do their drugs regardless. people who are addicted to heroin will do it for their entire life in secrecy. u can smell heroin too. all technology is a blessing and a burden. however the worst thing for you is cigarettes. cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals. 43 of which are cancer causing.
This is another case of ignorance at work. Literally voted on fear and not on proof. I do not even use these devices, but I still feel it is ridiculous to ban a device that has no proven risks to anyone but the user. And even user risks haven’t been proven.
Sorry Greg Correll
I see our brilliant minds in city clowncel drank the “marketing to kids” kool-aid. I’m 58 and vape 2 different candy flavors.
Thank goodnezs
All about the $$$$.
Suck a fat baby’s dick. I’ve smoked since highschool and now I’m not allowed to use a device that is proven to be more healthy. Thanks SCV, you never cease to amaze me.
Boy do I agree with you Sarah Wong!!! I’ve been wishing for years that the Santa Clarita valley would wise up like other cities, such as Calabasas, and not allow any smoking in public areas outside!!!! Second hand smoke kills and this valley is loaded with children who have no say about their environment!
Carolyn Groneman
David Gomez
Meanwhile drunk people can go flying out of the route 66 parking lot wide open throttle after bike night with zero police around.
They all went for cocktails after writing the new law. End of another hypocritical day.
Good! If I can’t smoke there, why should you be able to?
Alright! You were brave to do this. But smart not to back down. In time the truth will come out about vaping and will prove to be just as harmful and addictive as cigarettes or pot! Thanks, you made a brave decision.
one reason could be “the youth” start on vaps and than move on to cigs etc
Christine Michele Videgain-Tucker. Tish Videgain Coffey
But u can cross in and out of the diamond lane and not worry about ever running across a DUI check point
Anthony Sherman
David Hong
Ban regular cigarettes!! Stupid
guess I’ll just stick to my death sticks,,
Yes!!!#!#!!!!!!#!!!!!!!#!
Shirley- you are insane. Keep waiting for that “truth” to come out.
Abby Avendano Andrea Finneran Shemaree Jones
Another freedom taken away I guess I’ll just keep smoking because the government does not want me to quit government does not want me to quit what freedoms will be taken away tomorrow
Obviously there are ALOT of uneducated people who should know what their talking about before they speak because they sound stupid
There are 4 INGREDIENTS in the liquid all of which are consumed by everyone daily
Unlike the thousands of chemicals in tobacco that has been proven to cause cancer and other defects
The government has approved vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking
4? From what my buddyknow here, who mixes his own e liquids, he says there is vegetable glycerin, propelyne glycol, sometimes distilled water, nicotene and flavorings which (as he says) contain a host of ingredients themselves. I don’t know squat about this, but seeing how he has made his own for awhile now and says you are one of the misinformed vapers spouting misinformation i tend to believe him since, he too, is pro vaporizer. Both sides of this debate are full of “i swear i heard this once so it must be true” people
I agree it shouldn’t be done in public places I do use vapes but as long as u do it outside and use common sense it shouldn’t be a problem I have kids and don’t do it around them regardless if its OK or not,don’t be a dick and blow it in ppl faces do it on bus ect. Time and place
haha i bet the kid who’s vaping in the picture is gonna be famous at school tomorrow
No. I’m betting he’s a theater kid that’s going to get a new mudhole courtesy of the kids in his school who really do use vaporizers
Just sad
This is ridiculous. Why aren’t regular cigarettes banned too? Who is our city catering to? Big business cigarette companies?
Get rid of this crap. It looks dumb too when you see kids blowing a big old cloud of white smoke
Reid Rupe
I just came here to see everyone measure their Dick size. So far it’s pretty amusing ?
Better have my tickets ready then, #cantstopthevape2k15
And you shoulda put someone with a box mod on the cover not an ego e cig ?
Haha Rachel Noelle maybe you should think about your comment a little more. If you don’t figure it out maybe I’ll explain.
SCREW SCV PERIOD..:-!!
^^^^ right? I just hate it when im in Wood Ranch and someone lights up a cigarette, or while I’m at my city job in my city owned car just smoking cigarettes, because they supply me with few packs since Phillip Morris is in with the Santa Clarita city council
It’s all Volkswagen’s fault
David Thomson
Yay!!!!!
Shirley Vercelli = idiot.
^girl said its ruining visibility a few comments up ?
Will they ban cigarettes too? lol
They only banned these from public places like busses, public parks, and certain workplaces. Vape shops will be untouched by this.
Sweet
i’ll vape in my car cruising down the streets
Jennifer Ramos
Sounds like ecigs and vaping is encroaching on taxes everywhere and smokers should just keep smoking. At least in these states who rely on the nicotene addiction to fund their budget. I quit smoking 12 years ago, but, until now I never realized how much my smoking helped our country. Plus, if i stayed a smoker i would have died quikly from a cheaper death than a prolonged ailmemt. Not to mention what smokers save Social Security and other entitlement programs by not living long enough to need them. Maybe this is why only a small percentage of cigarette tax money goes to anti-smoking funding. The cigarette tax in our country is interesting in the fact it has competing goals. First goal is to fund anti-smoking campaings. Second goal is to increase funding. So, to the effect it decreases smoking it will not increase funding. How did they not expect this tax policy to cause issues in state and federal tax funds? Did they they never expect stopping buying and smoking cigarettes would become trendy all of a sudden?
Tickets all day that’s why they did it
Again why is there a 12 year old being shown doing this I thought people 18 could only
WHY DON’T THEY JUST CURE CANCER INSTEAD THIS IS A WASTED EFFORT I WISH NOBAMA WOULDN”T COME AND TRY TO MEDDLE WITH OUR LOCAL LAWS KEEP YOUR CHANGE ILL SMOKE MY CIGARETTES WHERE EVER I WANT THANK YOU VERY MUCH
In August, England declared ecigs 95-99% less harmful than cigarettes. They are now endorsing smokers switching. This month Spain released a study showing ecigs release less VOCs than human breath. But most US states signed the Master Settlement Agreement, taking part of the profit of cigarettes, but pledging to never ban them. So there it is. The US wants money and helps commit premeditated murder of smokers. England wants to help its people. These devices could save a BILLION lives this century. They should be embraced, but we keep allowing stupid.
Why didn’t any of the people upset by this show up to the city council meeting on Tuesday?
Wouldn’t have made a difference. Scv city council is incapable of listening to reason, fact or evidence.
Doesn’t matter. State Legislature is about to pass identical legislation, and then the whole state will be under the same law.
Maybe the (non vapors) should carry a small spray bottle around and anytime somebody who is vaping near you blows their “vapor” in your direction, turn around and squirt them in the face? I’m pretty sure that stream of water is just a thicker form of the vapor” and its just water. After getting shot in the face a several times, they would see how obnoxious it is…lol
Daniel Jamieson
Cigar Dave agrees with this law. Maybe not the outdoor parts, but certainly the indoor parts.
What an ignorant law.
Trevor Van Dyke
Jake Miura
Biggest load of crap. Let’s go through this shall we? Propylene glycol, a medical grade inhalant since the 1950s that you will find in most inhalers. Vegetable glycerin, eat your daily dose of veggies every day? Congrats, it’s in your body already. Natural and artificial flavoring, better put down every drink in your house except water, natural tea, and coffee because, as you may have guessed, it is in those too. And finally nicotine, which is optional! Not everyone uses nicotine in their liquid and even those who do, the secondhand nicotine is 10 times less than that of a cigarette which isn’t banned in any open spaces. ( http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131212141948.htm )
So no, it isn’t water vapor, but it is a mixture of chemical which, by most, is put in your body every day.
I’m not advocating being a rude ass hat about it. Don’t walk around blowing it in people’s faces, especially children. Don’t vape in a restaurant (unless you are in a smoking area). But to ban it from all places except your home, car, and vape shop, is a load of crap. As I have sat here in my truck writing this, 4 people have come out of the building, lit their cigarette and enjoyed their cigarette, but I can’t stand there and vape? It’s just another law based off fear and propaganda (by big tobacco due to a product that could destroy their industry) and not knowledge.
Ban cigarettes before you ban ecigs! I have to say they should only be prohibited in schools,restaurants, bars and employment. These aren’t harmful to others like cigarettes are, but should not be vaped everywhere out of respect.
i dont care enough to go nathan i dont even vappe i just
feel bad for my homeboys
Cami Lynn Molly Hansen Elizabeth Henry peace LMAO
Hahahah do you even vape Sean Mouradian Cami Lynn Elizabeth Henry
Oh LOOK! Yet another reason im glad i dont live there anymore
http://notblowingsmoke.org
For all the ignorant morons in this thread that still think vaping is smoking. Its 2015, doing simple research is as easy as tying your shoes.. Will never understand why some people literally choose not to educate themselves on any issue/topic/current event/etc…
They didn’t ban them because they are bad for you.. They banned them because they make you look like an idiot
Ban e cigs but not cigarettes from open spaces?!! Are you serious
Good point Nathan…Just image what would have happened at that meeting if all you “experts” on vaping had shown up at Tuesday nights meeting. You would have dominated the majority and voiced your “expert” opinions and maybe the result would have been different. Nobody to blame but yourself. Remember…puff & pass!
Yet another example of demonizing something because you don’t understand it. Marketed to kids? When, where? Marijuana? Sorry, those devices are different from E-cigs and you can clearly smell the difference. What a bunch of nonsense.
IGlad I dont live in SC. I would concentrate more on your cities heroin problem. Its so said where your priorities are. People are trying so hard to get off cigarettes.
The state is about to adopt the same regulations.
95-99% less harmful than cigarettes according to England. Less VOCs than human breath according to Spain. The Devil according to the US tax machine. Insanity. Less kids are smoking traditional cigarettes than ever before. Your government bungling didn’t do that. Vaping did. You’re welcome. And how many parents aren’t blowing second-hand smoke on their kids at home due to switching to vaping? THAT is saving kids lives. Vote these idiots out.