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Meghna Sinha, former Chair of the Youth Commission, said the subcommittee came together to revise the city's smoking ordinance in order to improve community health by limiting exposure to second hand smoke in areas where youth and families are active. She explained that the current ordinance restricts smoking in some public places but not within the city's parks, trails or sports fields. The subcommittee found this insufficient for 3 primary reasons: smoking poses a serious health hazard, smoking is a significant fire hazard, and smoking contributes to littering issues in public parks. The subcommittee explored but ultimately elected not to designate smoking areas within the parks so as not confuse the message of the ordinance and also because most city parks have sidewalks or other areas immediately adjacent where individuals may smoke if desired. The hope is that the proposed amendment will have a positive impact on the community through creating a healthier and cleaner environment, minimizing respiratory diseases and infections, and making a clear statement on the importance of stopping smoking. Mayor Thorne asked if the subcommittee considered expanding the ban to other areas such as public sidewalks in the downtown. Assistant City Attorney Seto explained that they did but ultimately concluded that pedestrians on sidewalks tend to be walking from point to point, which creates a much different concentration of smoke than a stationary individual positioned next to a sports field. Mayor Thorne said he was particularly concerned with the downtown because it tends to be so crowded. He cited the Tully's plaza area as being particularly concentrated with smokers. He asked staff to explore the idea further, perhaps with input from the Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA). Mr. Fialho explained that staff has spoken with some property owners concerned about smoking in the downtown, particularly related to the plaza mentioned by the Mayor. Staff has asked that they work with the PDA to make a case to the city in favor of the ban but the PDA was not in agreement for a number of reasons. Staff will, however, continue to examine the idea. Councilmember Narum asked if the ban applies to trails along the arroyo. Ms. Seto confirmed, noting that the proposed language bans smoking within any city park or recreation facility, the latter of which is defined to include any pathway or trail that the city either owns, leases or controls. While owned by Zone 7, the city has a license agreement that affords it control over the arroyo trails. She acknowledged that the matter could be clarified further, perhaps by eliminating the word "city" so as to obviously include parks and facilities of other ownership. Vice Mayor Brown asked if this would also include East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) properties within the city, such as Linear Park in Hacienda. Ms. Seto explained that the city does not have the same type of agreement with EBRPD, whose smoking rules rely on fire danger rules and change based on conditions. She suggested that staff could work with them to see if an agreement could be reached for the sake of consistency throughout the city. As part of the proposal, no smoking signs would also be posted throughout the various facilities and trails. Vice Mayor Brown suggested that staff also consider road closure events such as First Wednesday, which blocks off all of Main Street to allow foot traffic, as appropriate candidates for a similar ban and asked that they discuss this with the PDA. She asked and staff confirmed that the proposed amendments do not address multi-family developments. Councilmember Pentin asked about the Commission's motivation in allowing smoking in outdoor areas of the golf course. City Council Minutes Page 6 of 17 July 21, 2015