Community Outreach Events

The City kicked off the Breathe Free MB campaign on July 22, 2014 to educate the public on the importance of smoke-free public places. The event took place at 11:00 AM at the Manhattan Beach Farmers Market.  

In addition to meetings and presentations to business improvements districts in the City of Manhattan Beach, City Staff coordinated two public meetings to discuss smoking policy for the City.

March 19, 2014 Community Forum

The public was invited to participate in a Community Forum (PDF) on outdoor smoking policies in the City of Manhattan Beach on March 19, 2014.

Following the City Council direction to draft an ordinance that would prohibit smoking in all outdoor public areas, as well as ban the use of e-cigarettes in all places that smoking is prohibited, the City wanted to hear how this ordinance might impact the community, and understand any issues or challenges with the proposed ordinance.

Patrick Reynolds, Executive Director of the Foundation for a Smokefree America, provided a powerful testimony of his experiences and why smoking needs to be banned in public places. Experts from the Beach Cities Health District provided information on the dangers of second-hand smoke, as well as detailed information on the hazards of the use of electronic cigarettes in public places. Student volunteers from the National Charity League also provided educational displays on smoking and tobacco in support of their participation in the national Kick Butts Day campaign. 

Representatives from the public, Downtown Business and Professional Association, Surfrider, Behavioral Health Services, and Beach Cities Health District participated in the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was for the community to have a discussion, and for City Staff to gather information and provide a summary to City Council when seeking approval of an ordinance expanding the City’s smoking regulations to include all outdoor public places in Manhattan Beach.

April 15, 2013 Town Hall

The City, in coordination with Beach Cities Health District, Behavioral Health Services, and the Surfrider Foundation, held a Town Hall meeting to discuss outdoor smoking in public places on April 15, 2013.

The goal of this Town Hall meeting was to gather input from the community (residents, businesses, visitors) regarding outdoor smoking in order to seek direction from City Council on pursuing an expansion to the existing ordinance.

The public asked questions and raised concerns regarding an expanded smoking ordinance to the experts gathered. More information on this meeting is available on the Smoke-Free Public Places Town Hall Agenda (PDF) and in the meeting summary below.

Town Hall Meeting Summary

Six presenters made very brief but informative points on the:

• health impacts of second-hand smoke;
• cigarettes and environmental impacts;
• local experiences with smoke-free ordinances; and
• the options for expanding the City’s existing ordinance

Former Hermosa Beach Councilmember Jeff Duclos was one of the presenters, and shared Hermosa Beach’s experiences with local businesses and enforcement issues. The options for strengthening the City's smoking regulations discussed at the Town Hall Meeting were:

• Expand existing ordinance to include outdoor dining, shopping, and other public gathering places;
• Include all the above, with the addition of sidewalks (would incorporate designated smoking areas);
• Citywide ordinance to comprehensively include all outdoor public places (excluding private property)

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