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Cypress Council narrows scope of proposed smoking ordinance, asks staff to tighten enforcement language
Summary
Council directed staff to draft a stricter smoking ordinance but removed sidewalks and streets from the most restrictive draft; members asked that the ordinance include 25-foot buffers from transit stops and 100-foot buffers from schools, and requested coordinated enforcement language.
City Council members in Cypress on Aug. 25 voted to give staff direction to revise a proposed update to Municipal Code Section 17 tightening local smoking rules, while removing some of the most far-reaching restrictions from an initial draft.
The ordinance, introduced by City Attorney Fred Galante, was described as the "most restrictive" version staff had prepared. Galante told the council the draft raised enforcement and interdepartmental consistency issues and recommended postponing final adoption until those items were addressed.
Council Member Chang urged the council to adopt broad smoke-free zones and presented a research packet compiled with public-health partners and local students. Chang recommended smoke-free parks, bathrooms, parking lots, outdoor dining, places of employment, public events, and multiunit housing (including balconies and common areas). She also proposed a 100-foot buffer from schools and daycare centers and a 25-foot buffer from bus and transit stops.
Other council members questioned how the city would enforce added restrictions. Council Member Pete and Police Chief cautioned that enforcement of smoking in open public areas — sidewalks, parking lots or moving people on streets — would be resource intensive and often impractical because officers rarely arrive while an incident is occurring. The City Attorney said citation language and departmental roles need coordination between code enforcement and police.
After discussion, the council members agreed to remove sidewalks and streets from the proposed restrictions and to include the 25-foot buffer around public transit stops and the 100-foot buffer from schools and daycare centers in the revised draft. The council gave the City Attorney direction to return with an updated ordinance that addresses those enforcement questions.
The council did not vote to adopt the ordinance on Aug. 25. Galante said staff will coordinate with involved departments and return with a cleaned-up draft for future consideration.
