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Youth coalition urges Grand Terrace to adopt smokefree outdoor policy
Summary
A youth-led coalition described cleanups, surveys and community outreach and asked the city to pursue a smokefree outdoor policy; council members asked about enforcement, school education and transit outreach.
Margaret Gonzalez, a youth leader with the Community Coalition for Change, told the Grand Terrace City Council on June 25 that the group's smokefree outdoor campaign collected quantitative and testimonial evidence of smoking-related litter and community support. "We have collected 78 signed postcards in English and Spanish," Gonzalez said, and the coalition reported 11 outdoor cleanups, 10 community 'smokefree walks' and outreach forums with roughly 30 attendees.
Gonzalez asked the council to support drafting a smokefree outdoor policy to reduce exposure in parks, bus stops and other public spaces. Councilmembers asked about enforcement and education; Gonzalez said the coalition favors education and community partnership rather than criminal enforcement. When asked whether the coalition had engaged the local transit agency about bus-stop signage, Gonzalez said they had not yet done so and invited staff to provide a contact for outreach.
Mayor Bill husy and Councilmembers thanked the volunteers and cited the campaign's combination of data collection and resident testimony as constructive groundwork for a policy discussion. The council took no formal vote on the proposal during the meeting; Gonzalez said the next step is to continue outreach and work with staff on a drafted policy.
The presentation framed policy next steps as community education, continued cleanups and formal drafting with city staff; the coalition offered contact information and an invitation for councilmembers to join future events.
