SF Supes Give Initial Approval to Smoking Ban at Some Street Fairs, Festivals

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The San Francisco Board of Supervisors  gave unanimous initial approval on Tuesday to two pieces of legislation addressing smoking in the city.

The first item will ban smoking at certain street fairs and festivals in the city, including the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair and the Fillmore Jazz Festival.

The legislation requires various events with street closures to mention on all promotional materials that they are a smoke-free event, while also requiring at least one "No Smoking" sign and announcements about the smoking ban every two hours during the event.

Mar said the ordinance has broad support in the city and that San Francisco is believed to be the first large city in the U.S. to adopt such legislation.

The other item regarding smoking, also authored by Mar, requires property owners in the city to tell potential tenants whether smoking is allowed in a multi-unit residential building. Mar said people are often unaware of whether their neighbors are allowed to smoke and that the secondhand smoke seeps into their own units, creating a health hazard.

This legislation allows them "to make an informed decision" and also helps landlords by reducing the number of potential nuisance complaints by tenants, Mar said.

Both tenants' rights and landlord groups support the legislation, he said, noting similar laws are already in effect in other nearby cities such as Oakland and Richmond.

Owners of less than 50 units in the city will have one year to comply with the legislation while ones who own more than 50 will have two years.

Both ordinances will return in front of the supervisors for final approval at their next meeting.