The Signal Hill City Council will prepare a community workshop and survey calling on residents to voice their concerns regarding a potential ban on smoking in multi-family housing.
On Tuesday, May 24, City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn directed staff to plan two workshops—one in the summer and one in September with bilingual options.
The move came in response to community health advocates who proposed the council develop a smoking ban on future multi-family developments during a previous meeting.
City Attorney Matthew Richardson reported on his findings regarding the legal issues and policy issues related to regulating smoking in multi-family properties, including options available to the council.
Richardson explained the City has the ability to enact a law that would ban smoking in rental multifamily buildings.
“The long and the short of it is that although we don’t have a law directly on point, it is very clear that we can regulate smoking in this manner,” Richardson said.
Under the City’s broad discretion, regulating smoking in multifamily properties range from complete smoking bans to more “targeted” restrictions, Richardson said.
Included in these options are: banning smoking in multi-family developments approved after a smoking ban is in effect; banning smoking in new multi-housing developments, designated areas around the complex for smoking and nonsmoking; and easing into smoking restrictions by way of new lease agreements over time.
Richardson said that the City has “creative” reign on how they want to enforce code provisions, while also maintaining mechanisms in place like fines that range from $100 to $500.
“We are taking this seriously,” Vice Mayor Tina Hansen said.
