Tiffany Brown
Staff Writer
DANIEL JOHNSON/Art Editor
LIGHTIN UP: Max, 24, friend of Pepperdine senior Ryan Johnston, takes a cigarette break on the sand in front of his friend’s home in Malibu. Max, who is visiting from Germany, said he does not understand the new laws restricting smoking, and he’s glad Johnston lives on a private beach.
Ah, a day at the beach. In Malibu, students have the luxury of sunbathing in the sand while taking in salty ocean breezes peppered with sweet scents of SPF 30, car exhaust, surfboard wax and cigarette smoke. Wait, scratch that last one. As of June 24, the city put a new law into effect that prohibits smoking on all Malibu beaches.
The Malibu City Council approved the smoking ban this summer, assuring residents the move will lead to decreased ocean and shoreline pollution, as well as ensure the respiratory health of all beachgoers.
Mixed feelings about the new law have surfaced throughout the Pepperdine community. Although some students remain indifferent, others assert that the ban is unfair.
“This is yet another law that infringes on peoples’ rights,” said senior Kristin Enriquez. “We are continuously limiting the number of places people can smoke. I don’t think it’s right.”
Fellow senior Jeff Hicks also disagrees with the ban. “As long as people are considerate and not blowing smoke in other peoples’ faces or putting their cigarettes out in the sand, I don’t think they should be prohibited from smoking on the beach,” said Hicks. “Just because they smoke doesn’t mean they should be banished from civilization.”
Proponents of the law argue that people should care for beaches because they are public property.
“This move will help clean up our beaches, providing a safer and more picturesque environment for locals and tourists alike,” said student Gary Bennett. “Litter on the beaches is a serious problem and most smokers are unaware that their cigarette butts add up.”
A city representative said Thursday that the issue was proposed to the city council by Malibu Mayor Sharon Barovsky, a smoker, following a spree of smoke-free beach regulations that have appeared throughout Los Angeles County within the past year.
Barovsky was unavailable for comment.
Zev Yaroslavsky, California 3rd District Supervisor and author of the ban, said that smoking on beaches is “a health risk that leads to littering.”
Several city officials, beach cleanup volunteers and environmental organizations share Yaroslavsky’s views.
“While combing the beach, I have come upon many birds that have perished as a result of ingesting cigarette butts that they mistook for food,” said Linda Newsome, a Santa Monica resident and part-time beach cleanup volunteer in Malibu.
The city council convened early in July to establish the penalties enforced for lighting up on the beach.
Currently, the smoking fine ranges from $100 to as much as $500 for multiple offenses.
08-30-2004