Calabasas gets 'A' for effort when it comes to smoking
City fares well on report card
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

WARNING--"The dangers of secondhand smoke are irrefutable," says Barry Groveman, a Calabasas City Council member.

The American Lung Association of California has released its first State of Tobacco Control report card, which grades the 88 cities in Los Angeles County and 34 cities in Orange County for their ability to provide a smoke-free environment for residents and visitors.

Calabasas earned the only perfect score.

Each city was judged on how it controls smoking in categories such as entryways, apartment buildings, recreation and outdoor dining areas, and service areas such as taxi stands, ATM machines and public telephones. The survey also studied local retail licensing ordinances to measure their effect on youth smoking.

"The local governments were issued cumulative grades for the ordinances they have on their books as well as for their efforts to stop youth access to tobacco," said Steven Gallegos of the ALA.

The city of Calabasas received A's in all six categories- the only city that received 20 out of 20 points.

"The American Lung Association of California applauds Calabasas for taking measures to reduce or eliminate secondhand smoke," Gallegos said.

Agoura Hills received F's in recreation, housing, outdoor dining and youth access and A's in entryways and service areas, which translated into a C overall. Westlake Village received F's across the board.

Only two other cities received an A rating--Baldwin Park and Burbank--both with 18 points out of 20. Sixty-three cities in Los Angeles County and 32 in Orange County received a D or F.

"The dangers of secondhand smoke are irrefutable," said Calabasas City Councilmember Barry Groveman, speaking at a news conference. "The burden is best met by local cities that have the ability to cut through the bureaucracy and take quick action to protect public health and safety as we have done and others have followed."

Other speakers included City Councilmember Carlos Bustamonte of Santa Ana and Mayor Marsha Ramos of Burbank.

Representatives from the American Lung Association of California Board, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department and the Orange County Tobacco Education Coalition were also on hand.

"This is a snapshot in time," said Gallegos, who helped contribute to the report. He called it a tool which will help lawmakers gauge yearly improvement in smoking regulation.

The report criticized California's cigarette tax and overall anti-tobacco spending.

Studies show that for every 10 percent increase in the cost of a pack of cigarettes, there is a 7 percent decline in youth consumption. Currently, the average state cigarette tax nationwide is $1.11 per pack, an increase of about 11 cents from last year. California's 87-cent-per-pack tax ranks 29th in the country.

More than 37,000 people in California die each year from diseases caused by cigarette smoking, the American Lung Association says. Tobacco-related illness kills more than 438,000 Americans every year.

American Lung Association smoke-free report card

	Agoura Calabasas Hidden Malibu Westlake
	Hills	Hills Village
recreation	F	A F A F
areas
outdoor	F	A F F F
dining
entryways	A	A F F F
service	A	A F F F
areas
housing	F	A F F F
youth tobacco	F	A F F F
licensing
Total Points*	8	20 0 4 0
Final Grade	C	A F D F

 

*points: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0