Herf Away in Long Beach!

[Herfus_Maximus]

As hardly anyone read my thread on Long Beach, Ca voting to amend their laws , I thought I'd give you the scoop:
Voted 6-2 last night, you can NOW legally herf in Cigar Lounges ...hookah & tobacco shops, etc....still illegal.

Long Beach smoking law sets off sparks

Tobacco shops and city attorney are at odds with vote by council to allow cigar lounges.
By Paul Eakins, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/04/2009 01:096 AM PST



The Long Beach City Council voted 6-2 to amend the city's anti-smoking laws. The move will allow cigar lounges in the city to now operate legally. (Bob Pepping / Contra Costa Times)




RELATED» Cigar lounge OK draws heat from 1st District candidates
PRESS-TELEGRAM BLOG» Press Corps
LONG BEACH -- Why is cigar smoke more acceptable than cigarette or hookah smoke, operators of local tobacco shops and hookah lounges asked Wednesday, a day after the City Council voted to allow cigar lounges in Long Beach.
"It's very unfair to allow just cigar shops to have smoking lounges," said Rudy Valle-Long, owner of Hot Box Smoke Shop at 5463 Atlantic Ave.
While Valle-Long doesn't operate a hookah lounge, he does sell hookahs and other tobacco accessories and had been considering opening a lounge, he said.
"Maybe I want to expand and put in a hookah lounge of my own," Valle-Long said. "We've been discussing it ever since the whole big hookah craze has been coming out."
The council voted 6-2 late Tuesday night, with Councilwomen Suja Lowenthal and Gerrie Schipske dissenting, to amend a city ordinance that bans smoking in public places and allow cigar lounges.
Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga had proposed the change, and it was readily received by most council members.
"If a group of people want to go into their own private area and smoke, I have no problem with that," Councilman Val Lerch said. However, Uranga's motion went against the advice of City Attorney Robert Shannon, who said the most legally sound measure would be to allow smoking not only in cigar lounges, but also in tobacco shops, hookah lounges and similar businesses.

Shannon said no other California city permits only cigar smoking.
"Singling out cigars requires that the council make a finding that there is a legally permitted reason for singling out cigars as opposed to other forms of tobacco, including hookah lounges and cigarettes," Shannon said. "We would perhaps be in jeopardy of being sued."
While smoking in any public place was illegal under the previous law, seven cigar lounges and a handful of hookah lounges have been operating illegally in Long Beach. However, city health officials say they have taken action only when they received complaints about the businesses.
The revised law prohibits anyone under 18 years old from entering a cigar lounge and requires a separate ventilation system be used to exhaust smoky air.
An employee of a local hookah lounge who didn't want to be identified said hookah lounge owners in Long Beach are upset about the law.
The rumor, he said, is that Shannon's fear may come true and that hookah lounge owners will take legal action.
During Tuesday's meeting, a crowd of anti-smoking advocates made impassioned pleas to leave Long Beach's 15-year-old anti-smoking ordinance alone.
Cigar lounge owners and cigar users, on the other hand, asked the council to let them have separate places where they can enjoy their habit.
"I want you to understand that when you have people that are volunteering their services to work for the good of others, that it is a slap in the face to have you vote for something that we've been working against for so long," said Claudette Powers of Coalition for a Smoke-Free Long Beach.
About a dozen community members and representatives of other anti-tobacco groups spoke at the meeting, calling the move a step backward.
In 1993, Long Beach was one of the first cities in California to institute a citywide smoking ban in public places and workplaces. A petition drive forced the law onto the ballot, and Long Beach voters overwhelmingly affirmed the law in 1994.
Tom Fallon, owner of Big Daddy's Cigars of Naples, said that by allowing cigar lounges, non-smokers actually will be subjected to less smoke on the city streets.
"Let us bring it into a controlled environment, with the help of the Health Department, so we can filtrate the air and keep everybody away," Fallon said.
On giving the dissenting council votes, Schipske said that she would be hypocritical if she supported the law because she's a registered nurse, while Lowenthal seemed torn over the issue.
At first, Lowenthal seemed to favor the change, but ultimately she joined Schipske in opposition. paul.eakins@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1278

...for now

[d_day]

Good news! Definitely a step in the right direction, but I still think all types of smoking should be allowed in smoke shops. Hookah lounges should not be outlawed, nor should places where cigarette smokers congregate. I'm glad I'm on the good end of the stick, but we still need to fight for everyone else.

[strider72]

Good, maybe there is still a little bit of sense in spots out there.

[Presbo]

Win some lose some. I'm GLAD that we won this one.