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Uploaded: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 1:39 PM
Mountain View's anti-smoking efforts get an 'A'
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For the second year in a row, a local coalition has awarded Mountain View its highest marks in tobacco-control efforts among cities in Santa Clara County.
The "2010-2011 Community's Health on Tobacco Report Card" was released by the Tobacco Free Coalition of Santa Clara County and Community Advocate Teens of Today, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, to monitor Santa Clara County cities' tobacco-control policies and encourage enforcement efforts.
Grading was based on tobacco advertising and displays and preventing youth access to tobacco. Points were awarded for a high compliance rate with window advertising regulations, enforcement of underage tobacco sales laws, and creation of policies requiring a tobacco retailer license.
The cities of Mountain View, along with Saratoga and Milpitas, received 'A' grades for the second year in a row.
This year the county has also joined the 'A' list, which officials are crediting to the enforcement of new laws passed last year by the Board of Supervisors restricting tobacco sales in unincorporated areas of the county.
Supervisor Ken Yeager, one of the board members who was instrumental in the introduction and enactment of the laws, said combating youth smoking and protecting residents from secondhand smoke exposure only in incorporated areas of the county is not enough.
"Research has shown these laws are working," Yeager said this morning at a news conference in San Jose to announce the results of the report. "I'm hoping that we can bring [other cities along."
Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, the county's health officer, said the county spends about $830 million annually on treatment of tobacco-related health effects.
The new laws require retailers that sell tobacco in unincorporated areas to obtain and maintain an annual permit. New retail outlets would be prohibited from selling tobacco if they operate a pharmacy or are located within 1,000 feet of a school or within 500 feet of another tobacco retailer.
The new laws prohibit smoking at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, outdoor shopping malls, all county parks, in hotels and motels, and at retail stores that exclusively sell tobacco and smoking products, as well as smoking within 30 feet of any outdoor service area, such as a ticket line. Smoking is also now banned in duplexes, condominium and townhouse complexes, and apartment buildings.
The cities of Campbell, Gilroy, Cupertino, Milpitas, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale are also studying the possibility of bringing tobacco retail license ordinances to their respective city councils.
Last year the Santa Clara County Public Health Department was awarded a $6.9 million federal grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for tobacco prevention efforts. The department will use the grant to decrease the prevalence of smoking in the community and conduct efforts to prevent teens from taking up smoking.
— Bay City News Service Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Concerned, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Jul 27, 2011 at 2:33 pm Wow, if only Mountain View would put so much effort into getting rid of the gang problem, we would really be some where!
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Posted by Captain Obvious, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Jul 27, 2011 at 3:13 pm Cigarette smoking is the last thing the city of Mountain View and it's residents need to worry about.
Anti-smoking campaigns are total waste of time, money, and resources.
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Posted by not happy living with 2nd hand smoke!, a resident of the The Crossings neighborhood, on Jul 27, 2011 at 4:29 pm "Smoking is also now banned in duplexes, condominium and townhouse complexes, and apartment buildings."
I would love to get my hands on this ordinance! Where can I find it?
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Posted by member, a resident of the Blossom Valley neighborhood, on Jul 27, 2011 at 5:41 pm @Concerned -
I really have to agree with you. This city is practically being ruled by the gang element. It is getting so much worse as time goes on. Where are the MV officers as people are being harassed and sometimes much worse? The tagging is ridiculous. Twenty years ago this was not the case. I didn't have any problem walking around at night. Now I will not go out at a later hour. And we're doing such a great job not selling cigarettes to kids and placing the correct advertising in the windows. Really? Congratulations Mountain View! Great job! Now let's get on with the more serious issues at hand, shall we?kzr1d
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Posted by HB, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Jul 27, 2011 at 5:59 pm Mme Jeanne Calment, who was listed as the world's oldest human whose birth date could be certified, died at 122. She had begun smoking as a young woman. At 117 she quit smoking (by that age she was just smoking two or three cigarettes per day because she was blind and was too proud to ask often for someone to light her cigarettes for her). But she resumed smoking when she was 118 because, as she said, not smoking made her miserable and she was too old to be made miserable. She also said to her doctor: "Once you've lived as long as me, only then can you tell me not to smoke." Good point! [USA Today, "Way to go, champ," 10/18/95].
When Mme. Calment died at 122 in l997, the new longevity champ became 116-year-old Marie-Louise Meilleur, of Canada. Mme. Meilleur had chain-smoked all her adult life (as her grandson said, "She always had a cigarette dangling from her lips as she worked,"--AP, 8/15/97, reported in Miami Herald, p. 2A). She did give up smoking, however, when she was nearly 100.
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Posted by Got Science?, a resident of the Castro City neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2011 at 9:00 am HB, If the women both also ate eggs do you think there's a connection between eggs and long life?
Fact of the matter is these women had the genetics of super long life, resistant to cancer, heart disease or any sort of illness that will likely kill the rest of us one day. Even smoking could not trump their genetics. It didn't kill them because of their genetics. Believing anecdotal situations are applicable to all can lead to embarrassing revelations about one's own ability to think rationally.
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Posted by Old Ben, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2011 at 10:17 am There's an ordinance prohibiting me from smoking in my own apartment?
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Posted by Old Ben, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2011 at 2:38 pm Speaking of anecdotal evidence, it seems that the EPA is happy to rely upon it when it comes to tobacco prohibition:
Web Link
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Posted by Thom, a resident of the Jackson Park neighborhood, on Aug 5, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Thom is a member (registered user) of Mountain View Online "There's an ordinance prohibiting me from smoking in my own apartment?"
If not... soon, very soon.
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Posted by Thom, a resident of the Jackson Park neighborhood, on Aug 5, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Thom is a member (registered user) of Mountain View Online "$6.9 million federal grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for tobacco prevention efforts."
6.9 mil would go a long way to fix some of MV's infrastructure but let's make sure to attack smokers because.... why again?
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Posted by K, a resident of another community, on Jan 15, 2013 at 10:52 am I think the editor of this article should show us proof of such ordinance for no smoking inside apartments of Mountain View.
I don't think Mountain View has an ordinance clearly stating this yet?? If anyone has more correct knowledge of Mountain View Policy please provide proof. I know of an MV Apartment complex that has a No Smoking Policy in Lease but Managers are not following up on violations. Second Hand Smoke is a proven bad health risk!
Thanks!
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Posted by Proof, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Feb 2, 2013 at 11:30 pm Santa Clara County Multi-Unit Residential Smoking Ordinance NS-625.6 instated December 10, 2010.
For additional information on the ordinance and resources on
implementing a non-smoking multi-unit residential community, please
contact the County of Santa Clara’s Public Health Department at
(408)793.2700 or Francis.Capili@phd.sccgov.org.
Notice to Property Owners sent December 7, 2010:
Web Link
Quick Reference: Web Link
Important call out:
UNDER THE ORDINANCE, WHERE IS SMOKING PROHIBITED?
Smoking at multi-unit residences is prohibited in all common areas (except for designated smoking areas) and new units. Beginning February 9, 2012,
however, smoking at multi-unit residences will be prohibited in all common areas, new units, and existing units.
FAQ: Web Link
Actual Ordinance: Web Link
More about it: Web Link
FAQ
-Multi-Unit Residence Smoking Ordinance
Show All Hide All
-Are all rental properties in Santa Clara County impacted by this ordinance?
No. The ordinance only applies to “multi-unit residences,” as that
term is defined in the ordinance. These are common interest complexes
(e.g., townhouse and condominium complexes) and rental complexes
(i.e., properties for which 50 percent or more of the units are rented
by or on behalf of the same landlord) that (a) are located within the
unincorporated area of the County and (b) contain two or more units.
However, the ordinance specifically excludes the following types of
housing from the definition of a multi-unit residence
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