If a ban on smoking at Carlsbad beaches could raise tax revenue for the city you know the Carlsbad City Council would have been all over it years ago. But seeing as a beach smoking ban is simply a smart, well-reasoned thing to do, the Council has only recently thought about it.<\/p>\n
“Apparently, we’re the last one to consider a smoking ban,” Councilman Mark Packard<\/strong> said, mentioning that the Encinitas City Council decided Tuesday to draw up such an ordinance<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
According to a Barbara Henry<\/strong> story in the North County Times<\/a><\/em><\/strong> Carlsbad is that last North County city in San Diego County to take action. Bans are already in place in Del Mar, Oceanside and Solana Beach.<\/p>\n
But not everyone is in favor of this ban. Mayor Bud Lewis<\/strong> thinks this “smacks of over-regulation,” and Councilwoman Julie Nygaard<\/strong> doesn’t see a “butt-problem” at Carlsbad beaches. Then there’s Police Chief Tom Zoll<\/strong>. He seems to view it as more work:<\/p>\n
Enforcement of a smoking ban at the beach won’t be easy — it could require dispatching an officer to walk the beach, he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Yes, Chief Zoll, an officer may actually need to get out of his or her car and we know how dangerous that can be<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n