The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) drafted this model ordinance to help California cities and counties that wish to limit exposure to secondhand smoke in public places.  

As the dangers of secondhand tobacco smoke become increasingly well documented, one of the most important steps a community can take to improve the health of its residents is to create more smoke-free spaces. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency has identified secondhand smoke as a Type A carcinogen—the most dangerous class of carcinogen, for which there is no safe level of exposure—and the California Air Resources Board has classified secondhand smoke as a toxic air contaminant. Despite California’s prohibition on smoking in most workplaces, the physical and monetary costs of exposure to secondhand smoke continue to be enormous. Local ordinances limiting exposure to secondhand smoke are the most direct and effective way to improve the public’s health.