Austin mayor looks to ban public smoking

Houston Chronicle ^

[SheLion]

AUSTIN - After watching nearby Round Rock crack down on smoking in public, Austin Mayor Gus Garcia wants Texas' capital city to do the same.

Garcia today told his staff to work on a smoking ordinance similar to one in Round Rock that bans smoking in nearly all public places, including restaurants.

The measure has been given preliminary approval by the Round Rock City Council and is up for a final vote Nov. 26.

"My position is, I don't want to put an ad in the paper saying, `Hey, Round Rock smokers, you can come to Austin and smoke,' " Garcia said in Tuesday's editions of the Austin American-Statesman.

Garcia -- who has supported a public smoking ban since he was first elected to the Austin City Council in 1991 -- said Austin's council members might have a proposed ordinance to review by early 2003.

Six years ago, the Austin council voted that restaurants must install ventilation systems -- including in bars -- if they wanted to designate smoking sections. Stand-alone bars must designate at least 25 percent of their seating as nonsmoking and have separate ventilation systems.

Previously, the council had voted to ban smoking in restaurants from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and in all city buildings.

Austin's smoking ordinance is rarely enforced. When it is, it is mostly on a complaint basis, said Bob Flocke, spokesman for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department.

Round Rock's ordinance would exempt bars that have beer and wine permits and don't serve food. But bars that serve mixed drinks and generate at least 50 percent of their revenue through alcohol sales would have to meet ventilation, filtration and physical barrier requirements if they wanted to allow smoking.

Many Round Rock restaurateurs argue that a smoking ban will cost them business. But Garcia said some Austin restaurants voluntarily have gone nonsmoking without hurting revenue.

"I've always favored a total ban on smoking in places where people go eat," Garcia said. "Eating is more of a necessity than smoking."

Other cities around the state have considered non-smoking ordinances, including Dallas, which is debating a ban in most public places.

[SheLion]

Austin, Texas CLOSED

[SheLion]

"My position is, I don't want to put an ad in the paper saying, `Hey, Round Rock smokers, you can come to Austin and smoke,' " Garcia said in Tuesday's editions of the Austin American-Statesman.”

Austin doesn’t need the money?

"Eating is more of a necessity than smoking."

Really? Well, spending our money in a place that accommodates us is a necessity, too, Mayor! We can eat at HOME!!

[Mark]

I would love to see 50 to 100 volunteers go into a no smoking location and light up. None carrying ID- refuse to sign citations- spend a night in jail- plead innocent in court and see them spend millions to get a minimal fine.

[red-dawg]

What bothers me is IF you own the land that the business sits on and IF ALSO you own the building that sits on said land AND you own the business itself, a government entity can DICTATE your policy. Beef is suggested to cause some cancers in the human body, beans can cause some malodorous emissions from the human body but these things are not treated the same way.

[Humidston]

Maybe politically correct Austin also needs to ban the words cigarette, cigar, nicotine, habit, smoke, stogie, ash.

Come to think of it, maybe Austin should just make smoking of any product (including pot!) illegal. Round up all smokers, execute them and get it over with.

(Of course with professors, the pot thing would sure clean up the campus at UT!)

[Humidston]

Walter Williams loves to walk around airports with an unlit cig in his mouth. He says it makes people go nuts and they STILL try to stop him, LOL!

[lelio]

Hmmm, should I work on the high unemployment in Austin or ban smoking? Let's just avoid the big elephant in the room and go after something else.

[txhurl]

That's right, make no mistake, Austin has become downright fascist in the last 5 years.

Used to be proud of this town, embarrassed now....

[Eaker]

Walter Williams loves to walk around airports with an unlit cig in his mouth. He says it makes people go nuts and they STILL try to stop him, LOL!

About 100 years ago when I was young my wife and I were grocery shopping and she pushed the basket to the check-out counter. I asked her to buy a carton of Marlboros as I only had one left. I then proceeded to remove the lone cigarette, put it in my mouth and disposed of the empty pack.

Less than 10 seconds later a woman went into a coughing frenzy!!! She was 20 feet away and about to barf! Her husband asked her what the problem was and she responded that my cigarette was making her sick. He looked at me, my unlit cigarette and then back to her and said, "Bitch, YOU are making ME sick and walked out the door without their groceries.

The look of disgust on his face was priceless!

Eaker

[SheLion]

I would love to see 50 to 100 volunteers go into a no smoking location and light up. None carrying ID- refuse to sign citations- spend a night in jail- plead innocent in court and see them spend millions to get a minimal fine.

This stuff is mind-boggling!

[SheLion]

Come to think of it, maybe Austin should just make smoking of any product (including pot!) illegal. Round up all smokers, execute them and get it over with.

Actually, I think a lot of the lawmakers are in the pocket of Big Pharm!

<----click on picture

[stratman1969]

That's right, make no mistake, Austin has become downright fascist in the last 5 years.

I guess the Kalifornia crowd has officially taken over in Austin. It was already getting bad when I left six years ago.

[Great Dane]

Pretty soon it will be easier to list Towns and Cities allowing smoking, not the other way around.

[Great Dane]

beans can cause some malodorous emissions from the human body but these things are not treated the same way.

Oh, but the ANTI's likes that, they say so everytime they come here. :-}

[Humidston]

My husband and I were seated in the smoking section of a NY restaurant when a non-smoking couple was seated next to us.

She immediately began that "turned up nose, waving hanky" Nazi program and began complaining to her husband about the AIR.

Her hubby went to the restroom so we commenced our fantasy conversation:

Me: So how'd your trip to D.C. go?
Hubby: They were shocked about my information.
Me: Did the CIA sit in on the meeting?
Hubby: Yeah, but they're not too happy about what's happening... The President is going to want to be briefed...

Her eyes got bigger and bigger. Her spouse returned, she whispered something, and they both immediately shut up and tried to evesdrop on us the rest of the meal, LOL!

[Drango]

Good one!

Cause of smokers like you...75% of Florida, including conservatives, went to the voting booths to outlaw smoking in restaurants. Paybacks a bitch ain't it!

[Calico Cat]

THAT was an intelligent reply.

Did you miss the part of her post that mentioned that she was sitting in the smoking section?

[Drango]

Did you miss the part of her post that mentioned that she was sitting in the smoking section?

And did you miss the section where she was goofing on the CIA?

But that's OK. Anything in the smokies lexicon that feeds their addiction is kosher...

[Humidston]

FYI Drango, for the record?

I'm an EX-smoker.

But I still don't see a reason for all this hysteria over smoking and absolute hatred for smokers. I heard on Rush's show today that a woman was punched by another woman - for being on a street and smoking - she was literally attacked.

You tell me that's fair.
You tell me it's fair for the government to dictate what can occur in a privately owned establishment.
You tell me you can even prove 2nd hand smoke is dangerous.
If you're a true conservative, surely you wonder where this will end.

[SheLion]

And did you miss the section where she was goofing on the CIA?

I think you completely misread her post. She wasn’t goofing on the CIA at all, Drango.