Where there's smoke ...

City Council is looking at broadening the relatively new smoking ban in restaurants. The broadening of the ban was first discussed last month when the Surgeon General called for smoke free workplaces, including restaurants and bars. Another reason to rework the plan is that people just seem to be confused about where they can and can’t smoke.

The confusion is causing havoc for the city’s only smoking-ordinance enforcer, Jeff Conn, whose duties include visiting restaurants that have received complaints for violations:

"There's only me," Conn said, adding that the law's many exceptions make it confusing and sometimes difficult to enforce. And he only does it part time, because his job includes unrelated responsibilities.

We don’t know what those unrelated duties are (picking up the mayor’s dry cleaning?), but it’s obvious that there may need to be more enforcers. The current law has many loopholes: if alcohol sales are higher than food (i.e., Taco Milagro, Red Lion Pub), than they are exempt; smoking is permitted on outside patios in restaurants; and if a restaurant’s bar is totally separated by walls from the dining area, smoking is permitted in the bar.

When City Council revisits the issue, many expect them to proposal a total smoking ban for restaurants and bars, similar to Austin’s. That may be tough to pass. We’re sure that places like Downing Street will have their own complaints about that proposal.