The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors passed amendments Tuesday to strengthen the County’s policies on smoke-free environments and to close loopholes where smoking is permitted. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) provided recommendations to close the gaps of existing County smoke-free ordinances.
The approved changes to the ordinance include:
– Updates to the definition of “smoke” and smoking” to include Electronic Smoking Devices (ESDs) and cannabis;
– Ban on smoking for all outdoor areas of County facilities, including near windows and entryways, handicap ramps, parking lots, and driving range and eating areas at County golf courses, and in County vehicles and at parking areas of public beaches and parks;
– Restrictions of smoking within 25 feet of outdoor areas for all dining and bar establishments that offer food to the public, within 40 feet of any mobile food vendor or temporary food facility, and at bus stops in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
– The U.S. Surgeon General has stated that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death and kills nearly 41,000 non-smoking Americans annually.
“Public Health supports stronger regulations that protect the public from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “Exposure to secondhand smoke represents a significant public health problem locally. Los Angeles County’s comprehensive approach to tobacco control is a model example which can be applied to help local cities strengthen their own tobacco control policies.”
According to the 2015 Los Angeles County Health Survey, 53% of adults were exposed to secondhand smoke in outdoor areas and 70% of County residents were in favor of a law prohibiting smoking in outdoor dining areas. In Los Angeles County, over 70 cities have adopted smoke-free parks/recreational area policies, 27 cities have adopted smoke-free outdoor dining policies – 17 of which included ESDs and cannabis in their definition of smoking, and 16 cities have passed comprehensive smoke-free policies that cover outdoor dining areas, public events, service lines, parks and recreational areas, and other public areas.
In partnership with the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, Public Health hosted a webinar and conducted six in-person informational townhalls throughout the County to provide information and to allow opportunities for the public and stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposed ordinance changes.
For more information about the approved ordinance, call the Tobacco Control and Prevention Program at (213) 351-7890.
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 116 new deaths and 1,759 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported its 144th fatality since the pandemic began.
Los Angeles County Parks is looking for highly-talented independent instructors to bring valuable expertise and learning to the community through the Contact Class Program.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 91 new deaths and 1,407 new cases of COVID-19, with 26,212 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Monday confirmed 32 new deaths and 987 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported two new deaths since Friday.
In partnership with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the city of Santa Clarita will launch its “Guard That Auto” campaign this spring to combat an increase in grand theft auto over the past year.
Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 116 new deaths and 1,759 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported its 144th fatality since the pandemic began.
Rancho Camulos National Historic Landmark officials will host a virtual presentation commemorating the March 12, 1928, St. Francis Dam Disaster via Zoom on Friday, March 12, starting at 4 p.m.
Princess Cruises is extending the pause of its United Kingdom-based cruise vacations, sailing roundtrip from Southampton, through September 25, 2021, on Sky Princess, Regal Princess, and Island Princess.
After a relatively dry February in California, water supply managers grow increasingly anxious as each dry, sunny day plunges the state deeper into drought.
The Biden-Harris Administration has approved California’s request to use Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) funding to pay for voluntary COVID-19 testing for low-income students covered by the program, further supporting schools in underserved communities to reopen for in-person instruction.
Santa Clarita planning commissioners Tuesday sent the Sand Canyon resort proposal back to the drawing board amid continued concerns, focusing largely on emergency evacuations.
Moving around California three decades from now will be safer, cleaner, and simpler with more transportation options under a plan Caltrans unveiled Wednesday.
After receiving athletic protocol updates from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (LADPH) and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the William S. Hart Union High School District has put together a complete athletic program following all state and county guidelines.
The ability to transform data into information and insights that can elevate a business and influence decisions is at the core of the newest major being offered in California State University, Northridge’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.
Three teachers from the William S. Hart Union High School District have been named by NASA and the SETI Institute to fly on NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
Los Angeles County Parks is looking for highly-talented independent instructors to bring valuable expertise and learning to the community through the Contact Class Program.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 91 new deaths and 1,407 new cases of COVID-19, with 26,212 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.
After its cancelation last year due to the emergence of COVID-19, the College of the Canyons Scholarly Presentation will return this spring in a new virtual format.
Santa Clarita Planning commissioners are expected to make a decision Tuesday regarding the proposed expansion of Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital via multiple construction projects that include building a second inpatient tower.
Santa Clarita Valley educators were next in line to receive their COVID-19 vaccine shots at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday, more than two months after the hospital received its first batch of vaccines for hospital frontline workers.
Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Monday confirmed 32 new deaths and 987 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported two new deaths since Friday.
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors passed amendments Tuesday to strengthen the County’s policies on smoke-free environments and to close loopholes where smoking is permitted. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) provided recommendations to close the gaps of existing County smoke-free ordinances.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.