Richmond gest kudos on anti-smoking effort

Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Richmond, not usually associated with stellar air quality, won praise Tuesday for protecting its residents' lungs by enacting some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the country.

"We have lots of challenges in this city, but we can also be at the forefront of change," said Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. "We managed to pass some groundbreaking legislation and we're very proud of this recognition."
The American Lung Association lauded Richmond for turning the organization's annual tobacco-control grade from an F to an A in just one year, due largely to a first-in-the-nation law the City Council passed in July that bans smoking in apartment buildings.

The city also barred pharmacies from selling cigarettes and banned smoking in parks and other public spaces.

Only three other cities statewide received A's: Glendale and Calabasas in Los Angeles County and Richmond's neighbor, Albany. Oakland and Berkeley received B's and San Francisco got a C. Just about every other city in the Bay Area received a D or F, largely because they lack smoking bans in outdoor areas and have few restrictions on tobacco sales.

No other city saw a turnaround as dramatic as Richmond's.
"What this says about Richmond and its leadership is extraordinary," said Jane Warner, head of the American Lung Association's California branch. "They took a bold move, expecting to get political backlash, but in reality they didn't. It's phenomenal."

Richmond, home to one of the largest oil refineries in the country and numerous factories, has some of the worst air quality in the region, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Richmond has the region's second-highest rate of sulfur dioxide, which is linked to lung cancer and respiratory problems. Only Crockett has a higher rate.

McLaughlin said the city's authority over industrial emissions is limited, but tobacco legislation is relatively easy to enact. The smoking ban in apartments met almost no opposition.

The apartment smoking ban goes into effect in July, and will be enforced through the city's building inspection process.

Landlords will be required to post no-smoking signs throughout their buildings, but will not be held liable if a tenant smokes. Fines for people caught smoking will range from $100 to $1,000.

City Councilman Tom Butt called the anti-smoking laws "low-hanging fruit," compared to the city's other problems, such as crime.

"We have an entrenched, decades-old homicide problem that could take decades to cure, but this is something we could do right away and have instant results," he said. "These laws might save more lives than whatever we do with homicides."
Tuesday was a sad day for Richmond's smokers, who now feel even more stigmatized.

"I smoke and I live in an apartment," said Maria Pinto, who works at Stogies Smoke Shop. "It's just getting harder and harder. I think people will follow the rules, though."

Grading the anti-smoking effort

American Lung Association grades the efforts of California's 10 most-populous cities to enact anti-smoking measures.

City	Overall	Outdoor air	Housing	Reduce sales
Los Angeles	C	D	F	A
San Diego	D	D	F	B
San Jose	D	C	D	F
San Francisco	C	D	F	A
Fresno	F	D	F	F
Long Beach	C	C	D	A
Sacramento	C	D	F	A
Oakland	B	B	B	A
Santa Ana	D	F	F	A
Anaheim	F	F	F	F

E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/13/BA421BHAHA.DTL#ixzz0cVVqJvcy

 

For Release January 13, 2010                                              Contact: Paul Doolittle, 925-228-2302

Jaime Jenett, MPH
Tobacco Prevention Policy Coordinator
Community Wellness and Prevention Program Contra Costa Health Services
597 Center Avenue
Martinez, CA  94553
phone:  925-313-6216
fax:       925-313-6864
jjenett@hsd.cccounty.us

Two Contra Costa Cities Recognized for

Groundbreaking Tobacco Prevention Policies

The City of Richmond received a highly coveted overall grade of “A” on the 2009 American Lung Association “State of Tobacco Control Report Card”.   The City of Martinez and unincorporated Contra Costa County followed closely behind with overall grades of B. In just one year, Richmond brought its grade from an F to an A and Martinez improved its rating from an F to a B.

The American Lung Association “State of Tobacco Control Report Card” grades 373 cities and 34 counties in California based on policies adopted and implemented in three categories: Smokefree Outdoor Air; Smokefree Housing; and Reducing Sales of Tobacco Products.

“Other cities in Contra Costa County and in California will now look to Richmond and Martinez as examples of how to effectively protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco,” said Paul Doolittle, Co-chair of the Contra Costa Tobacco Prevention Coalition. “We know that the types of policies these two cities have adopted reduce tobacco use and save lives.”

Martinez was the first city in Contra Costa to pass a comprehensive law banning smoking in public spaces in May 2009 and Richmond adopted a similar law in June 2009.  Richmond went on to adopt five other tobacco-related laws, including the strongest multi-unit housing policy in the nation and a smoke-free pharmacies policy, and is currently considering two more policies that would regulate tobacco retailers. 

Contra Costa Public Health Director Dr. Wendel Brunner lauded the extrordinary progress.

“Richmond has long been known for its public health problems and now it can be known for its public health solutions,” Brunner said.

For more information about Secondhand Smoke Protections Policies, call the Tobacco Prevention Coalition at 925-313-6214. 

For more information about State of Tobacco Control Report Card results for other cities and counties in California, go to www.californialung.org/raisethegrade