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Port Hueneme council orders resident survey before multiunit smoking ban
Summary
After months of study and a staff ordinance proposal that would have banned smoking in multiunit dwellings, the Port Hueneme City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to run a targeted resident survey and broaden outreach — including to cannabis businesses — before adopting any final rule.
Port Hueneme, Calif. — The City Council voted unanimously Aug. 19 to ask staff to survey residents and stakeholders before adopting an ordinance that would ban smoking inside multiunit residential buildings.
The council’s vote followed a staff presentation proposing a sweeping revision to the city’s smoking code that would have prohibited smoking in units and common areas of multiunit residences, defined “multiunit residence” to include townhomes, and set an effective date of Oct. 1, 2026 for compliance.
City staff said the proposed ordinance reflected concerns raised in 2023 public comment about secondhand smoke in multiunit housing and cited research from the Public Health Law Center, the CDC and the Non-smokers’ Rights Foundation that ventilation systems do not fully prevent secondhand-smoke exposure. The draft would have required owners and managers to post signs, remove smoking amenities, investigate complaints, add lease language and deliver education to tenants; the ordinance proposed that the city’s role be limited to education and initial notice while property owners and managers handle enforcement.
Council members pressed staff on details including who had been contacted during earlier outreach and whether cannabis smoke would be treated the same as tobacco. Staff said earlier outreach to property owners and managers in early 2024 produced a small response (about nine to 10 replies) that was broadly supportive; staff also noted a larger public survey later this year would reach more residents through the city’s expanded social media and mailing channels.
Instead of proceeding directly to ordinance adoption, Councilwoman Misty Perez made a motion directing staff to perform a focused outreach effort and resident survey that would include HOAs, registered multiunit owners, and cannabis businesses and explicitly ask about cannabis use in units; Councilwoman Laura Hernandez seconded. The motion passed 5–0 (Council Member Gama absent).
Why it matters: Port Hueneme’s housing stock is heavily weighted toward attached and multifamily housing, and council members said they wanted direct input from residents who would be affected before restricting activity inside private dwellings. Staff recommended an October 2026 compliance date to give owners and managers time to comply, but council members said they wanted “more public input” before moving forward.
What’s next: Staff will prepare and run the resident outreach and report back to the council with survey results and recommended next steps. The draft ordinance as presented would have: applied to owner-occupied and rented units alike; excluded detached single-family homes and hotels; included townhomes; and made landlords responsible for lease language and on-site investigation of complaints. The council’s direction narrows the immediate action to additional community engagement, not adoption of a new law.
Speakers quoted or referenced in this article appear in the council’s public record and included Councilwoman Misty Perez, Councilwoman Laura Hernandez, Mayor Pro Tem Miguel Lopez and city staff (presentation by city staff).
