Politics & Government
New Anti-Smoking Signs Approved
Those in favor of a full smoking ban will have to accept this compromise, a member of Clean Air Claremont said.
The Claremont City Council passed a resolution to discourage smoking in public places last night in a 4-1 vote.
The council voted to begin producing and selling signs to stores in the city that want to dissuade people from lighting cigarettes on dining patios and on sidewalks.
In all, the city itself will put up about 74 signs throughout the city on light poles and at city entrances.
Find out what's happening in Claremont-La Vernefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Mayor Pro Tem Opanyi Nasiali was the only "no" vote, saying that while he was against smoking, he also did not support signs that suggested the city was legally banning it.
Council Member Corey Calaycay was also cautious about the resolution, saying that he was glad to have come to a compromise with Mayor Larry Schroeder that did not include a ban.
Find out what's happening in Claremont-La Vernefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
About a dozen members of the group Clean Air Claremont were on hand at the meeting to throw their support behind the resolution.
Some, like Charles Gerlach, had wanted the city to go farther and ban smoking outright in public areas. But he said after working for almost two years with the city that a compromise like this was a good step forward in convincing people to put down their cigarettes.
"There was an environment in Claremont where we either had to have a winner or we had to have a loser. We didn't want that. With this resolution, we have a win-win situation," Gerlach said.