The lifestyle nazis want to tell other people what to do. WAKE UP!!!! Its not just tobacco folks - if they win with this nutty proposal in Mission Viejo, it won't be long before all our rights are GONE. Its ironic the city council in that California city is contemplating such a fascist proposal on the eve of Constitution Day. What ever happened to a government with strictly limited powers? What's going on in Mission Viejo is un-American!
I live in Mission Viejo. It is a nice place to live. This particular proposal is a bit stupid but I wouldn't get too worked up about it. It only effects property owned by the city, including city vehicles. I would think that a ban on smoking in city cars is a good idea- I would not want to be the person using the vehicle right after a chain smoker lit up one cigarette after another if I was an employee. Also, banning smoking in parks is also not a bad idea due to the extreme fire hazard, particularly in this time of drought. Many of the parks are adjacent to very dry scrub brush. There are already laws against fireworks so unless you think we have a constitutional right to smoke, this isn't much different.
On the other hand, this is going to be a bit tough to enforce. There is not usually a police presence in every park and green belt at all times. Most thinking smokers don't need a law to get them to behave responsibly anyway. I would think a better solution would be to simply make this rule cover all city employees. This law is just grandstanding (something the mayor is already known for), and a symptom of government at all level who clamor to be the next one to ban activities or raise taxes as the solution to all problems, real or imagined.