Kudos to Hermosa Beach City Council for going smoke free outdoors. I wish the city of Redondo would follow suit. I am so tired of smokers whining about their rights being taken away. What about my rights as a non-smoker? How about when I’m trying to eat at an outdoor establishment and the person 2 feet away from me lights up? As if that weren’t bad enough, I have chronic asthma and allergies and the smoke literally makes me sick. To a non-smoker, this is just disgusting, but smokers don’t seem to get that. And what an asinine (insert “ridiculous” if you can’t print “asinine”) comment some woman made, that city council should address the dress code on the beach, that people die every year of skin cancer (letters 3/8). If you choose to lie out on the beach and then die of melanoma, it does not affect me. If you choose to drink from sun up to sun down and die of cirrhosis of the liver, it does not affect me. Those are your choices. But when you light a cigarette at the table next to me, guess what, it affects me. Another asinine comment (letters 3/8) where a man wants to know why city council is banning a “legal” activity. Yes, it’s legal, and they’ve banned smoking on airplanes, at venues like Staples Center, LAX, shopping malls and many other places. I imagine smokers still fly, shop, and go to concerts and they survive just fine, so why can’t they survive an outdoor meal at a restaurant without lighting up? You can’t smoke inside restaurants either, as we all know. Really, the bottom line here is consideration. Most smokers simply are not considerate of others. Do you really think I enjoy breathing your rancid smoke when I’m trying to eat? And at places in Redondo like Tony’s crow’s nest, Hennessey’s and Micky Finns, smokers step outside, light up, and it blows right back inside through the open windows. Again, inconsiderate. Maybe if smokers would show a little respect to others, HB Council wouldn’t have taken such drastic measures with the ban, but I for one will be enjoying al fresco dining in HB from now on.
Thank you, Hermosa
Kelly Charles
Redondo Beach
