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do not have restrictions for smoking in single-family residential neighborhoods. The City of Dublin does have a policy which states that smoking in single-family residential neighborhoods are considered private nuisances which private owners must pursue themselves. The City will send a courtesy notice upon request, however staff does not spend time pursuing private matters. At this time, staff is requesting Council direction regarding the PDA's Downtown recommendations, which would include introducing an Ordinance outlining the policy and enforcement actions and whether further review of policies and regulations for prohibiting smoking in multifamily residential rentals and single-family residential neighborhoods, and if it should be added to the Work Plan. In response to an inquiry from Councilmember Pentin, Ms. Seto stated that it would be difficult to regulate smoking in single-family residential neighborhoods unless you can specifically show harm is being caused and urged caution before adopting such a policy. She did state that a carefully crafted policy could be adopted and implemented for multifamily condominiums and townhouses as it was more of an issue regarding second hand smoke. In response to an inquiry from Mayor Thorne, Ms. Seto noted that second hand smoke would be the prevailing issue whether the multifamily units were rentals or privately owned. Councilmember Pentin expressed concern that non-smoking prohibitions in multifamily residential rentals may cause some people to be forced out of their rental housing in favor of those who do not smoke. Ms. Seto recommended the Council direct staff to review policies from other cities as to whether current renters could be "grandfathered". In addition, there was a recommendation that new residents be notified of any adopted policies before they move in. Deliberation ensued among staff and Council regarding whether to allow Downtown special event permit owners to determine whether smoking should be prohibited at their events. The placement of signage was identified as a potential for confusion for Downtown patrons if certain events were non-smoking and others were not, all in the same area. Staff affirmed that the PDA did discuss including signage provisions in any adopted Ordinance, including signage at reasonable intervals. In response to an inquiry from Councilmember Brown, staff stated that the Council could require all City-sponsored events in the Downtown area to be non-smoking and that certain senior buildings partly owned by the City are non-smoking. Councilmember Brown expressed concern that the City has regulations in place that protect seniors, but not children, from second hand smoke. She also stated that it was her understanding that the City of Dublin started at a lower threshold for restricting smoking and then gradually increased their requirements. The Mayor opened the item for public comment. Bruce Fiedler, Dublin resident, expressed his support for the Council's consideration of this item, and noted the measures already taken by other Bay area communities. He mentioned that these policies were implemented without much "fanfare." He suggested that smoking and vaping be prohibited at all City events and recommended that the Council direct staff to analyze a smoke free multifamily residential ordinance. He provided the staff report from the City of Dublin and requested that staff review how the City of Union City proceeded in this matter. In closing, he stated that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is making all public housing and any federally subsidized housing non-smoking. In response to an inquiry from Councilmember Brown, Mr. Fiedler stated that a complex may have a designated smoking area with specific signage, and there are distance requirements built into City Council Minutes Page 8 of 15 December 15, 2015