Councilor proposes smoking ban during Plaza series
Lindell says Bandstand organizer ‘received a lot of complaints’ about secondhand smoke
Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man may no longer be allowed on the Plaza during the Santa Fe Bandstand music series.
A city councilor who tried unsuccessfully to ban the sale of small bottles of liquor in Santa Fe is now setting her sights on smokers who like to puff during the summertime performances.
Councilor Signe Lindell, whose district includes the downtown park, proposes to outlaw all types of smoking, from cigarettes and cigars to pipes and vaporizers, during the free live shows that attract throngs to the historic square. The series, now in its 15th season, runs from July 5 through Aug. 25.
Lindell’s proposal, which calls for police to enforce a smoking ban one hour before music begins until the event is over, already has some support from the nine-member governing body. Three city councilors, Carmichael Dominguez, Peter Ives and Renee Villarreal, have signed on as co-sponsors.
Lindell said she brought the proposal forward at the request of Michael Dellheim, executive director of Outside In Productions, which puts on the summer concerts.
“He did receive a lot of complaints” about secondhand smoke, she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “secondhand smoke harms children and adults, and the only way to fully protect nonsmokers is to eliminate smoking in all homes, work sites and public places.”
Dellheim did not return a message seeking comment.
A city staff report on the proposal’s impact states that “Limiting the ban to the Plaza Park ensures that those who still wish to smoke can do so and still enjoy the events, but from a greater distance so as not to impact the greater population of concert-goers.”
If the restriction is enacted, Santa Fe would join other cities across the country that have implemented smoking bans in public parks to varying degrees.
Unlike Lindell’s proposal, which calls for prohibiting smoking in one public park during specific events, other cities, including Dallas and Honolulu, prohibit smoking in public parks all the time.
Santa Fe prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, outdoor dining areas and other public spaces, as well as 25 feet from doorways. In 2014, the city added electronic cigarettes to the restrictions it places on regular cigarettes.
Lindell’s proposal would amend an existing ordinance that spells out prohibited uses on the Plaza. The police department is responsible for enforcing the ordinance, which calls for a verbal warning for the first offense, a $50 fine for the second and $100 for the third.