HOT ISSUES

San Diego Cities Graded on Tobacco Policies

On January 31, 2005, The Tobacco-Free Communities Coalition (TFCC) lauded the cities of Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, National City, Solana Beach, and Vista as leaders in progressive tobacco policies as the TFCC launched a public health initiative to assess and improve municipal tobacco control policies throughout the region.

In a progress report that is the first step toward the issuance of letter grades in a year, “leaders, laggards, and contenders” were identified in the areas of tobacco retail licensing, smoke-free parks and beaches, and public education about tobacco control measures.

“In the wake of the California Air Resources Board decision to declare tobacco smoke a toxic air pollutant, we see a real opportunity to move forward with anti-tobacco policies,” said Veronica Baeza, TFCC chair. (An MSNBC online poll shows that 68% of readers support the CARB decision.)

The cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar have made their beaches and parks smoke-free, while the cities of El Cajon and National City have mandated smoke-free parks. Solana Beach spokesperson Joe Kellejian, city council representative, called on neighboring cities to help create a smoke-free coastline from the Mexican Border to Malibu.

Meanwhile, Chula Vista is poised to become the first city in San Diego County to require smoke-free outdoor dining while Vista and El Cajon earned positive marks for launching programs to license tobacco retailers.

La Mesa, Lemon Grove, and the County of San Diego are rated as “contenders” in the assessment because of their recent efforts to educate the public on tobacco policies and resources via website postings.

In the “laggard” category are ten cities including the City of San Diego, which considered and failed to adopt a retail licensing program last year. “The TFCC is engaged in dialogue with all the region’s cities to develop policies that will promote public health through effective tobacco control,” Baeza said.

The American Lung Association is part of the Tobacco-Free Communities Coalition (TFCC), which works in the San Diego region to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke among San Diego County children, youth, and adults. The TFCC is joined in these efforts by the Tobacco Control Coalition (TCC) and the Tobacco Control Resource Program (TCRP) of the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency. For more information see www.TobaccoWatchdog.org and www.SmokeFreeSanDiego.org.