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S.F. Extends Smoking Ban To Parks Where Kids Play
Jason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer |
Friday, June 19, 1998
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Smoking was banned yesterday in San Francisco public parks and recreation centers frequented by thousands of children, drawing cries of discrimination from angry adult smokers.
``If I can't smoke, I don't know if I'll be able to continue working,'' said Marilyn Cassol, an exasperated park employee. ``It's a stressful job dealing with the public. I need to smoke.''
But the city's Recreation and Park Commission brushed aside such complaints to make San Francisco one of the few cities in the nation to outlaw outdoor smoking.
Golden Gate Park and other large parks will not be included in the ban, which goes into effect immediately. The 29 parks where smoking will be prohibited -- such as North Beach Playground, West Portal Playground and Alioto Park in the Mission District -- are small and are mainly used by children, officials said.
But Cassol -- a gardener for eight years at Michelangelo Playground in North Beach -- and others said the ban unfairly punishes adult smokers.
``They're pushing an agenda I think is very dangerous,'' said Raymond Sasso, president of Fight Ordinances and Restrictions to Control and Eliminate Smoking, or FORCES, a puffers' rights group that claims 100 members in San Francisco.
``Some parents smoke. That is their choice and that is their right,'' said FORCES member Enoch Ludlow, who lit up a cigarette after the vote. ``This is not a crime.''
Children who frequent the South of Market Recreation Center came up with the idea for the ban after several of their peers took up the habit.
``I have a lot of friends that smoke. They think it's cool,'' said Joseph Calubaquib, 14, one of half a dozen teenagers who appeared before the committee.
Joseph's brother, Jonas Calubaquib, told committee members that he had seen curious young children pick cigarette butts up off the ground.
And Diane Rose, youth project manager for the SOMA center, said she had seen children as young as 11 smoking outside the center, which serves more than 200 youngsters a week.
``When they're with their friends they continue to light up again and again and again,'' Rose said.
Recreation and Park General Manager Joel Robinson said the ban is a way to keep children from becoming addicted to smoking.
``These are some of our most heavily traveled playgrounds,'' Robinson said. ``We're not attempting to be overly bureaucratic or promote a Big Brother attitude. We want to provide a neutral atmosphere for young people.''
Offenders would not face fines under the proposal. Park staff, not police, would enforce the ban. No- smoking signs will eventually be placed at the various parks and recreation centers.
Offenders will not be subject to fines.
The measure is the latest attack on outdoor smoking. In Santa Cruz, smoking is banned in public lines for movies and buses.
In Palo Alto, smokers are not permitted to light up in ticket and service lines, near children's play areas and within 20 feet of building entrances. In Davis, smoking is banned in public gardens, outdoor courtyards and near play areas.
NO-SMOKING AREAS
1. Alioto Park
2. Argonne Playground
3. Bernal Recreation Center
4. Boeddeker Park (children's area)
5. Cabrillo Playground
6. Chinese Playground
7. Chinese Recreation Center
8. Cow Hollow Playground
9. Fulton Playground
10. Helen Wills Playground
11. Jackson Playground (play area)
12. J.P. Murphy Playground
13. Junipero Serra Playground (play area)
14. Macaulay Park
15. Merced Heights Playground (play area)
16. Michelangelo Playground
17. Midtown Terrace Playground (play area)
18. Mission Playground (play area)
19. North Beach Playground
20. Presidio Heights Playground
21. Richmond Playground
22. Rochambeau Playground
23. South of Market Area Recreation Center
24. South Sunset Playground (play area)
25. Sunset (play area)
26. Tenderloin Recreation Center
27. Washington-Hyde Mini-Park
28. West Portal Playground (play area)
29. Youngblood Coleman Playground (play area)
Source: Recreation and Parks Department
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Smoke screen? "I agree that the tobacco people play unfair, but it doesn't mean that they weren't morally in the right on this one. The federal government has no business trying to tax these companies to smithereens, or protect them from future consumer lawsuits." --from the Tobacco & Politics topic
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