SANTA MONICA—Plans to ban all smoking on the Santa Monica pier persist. Two fires on the pier, caused by discarded cigarette butts, have spurred discussions that smoking should be fully banned as a safety precaution, eventhough smoking is currently limited to seven designated spots on the pier.

A subcommittee of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation drafted the resolution to ban smoking on the entire pier. The Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation was established in 1983 by the Santa Monica City Council to handle issues related to the pier, which is an extremely popular tourist destination for the city.  Restoration of the pier is funded by the city, and members of the board volunteer their time.

The subcommittee passed the resolution at the end of June. Then on Friday, July 7, the committee as a whole voted on the resolution. Canyon News spoke with a representative at SMPRC who confirmed that last week the committee passed the resolution unanimously. The resolution now moves to the city council for approval.

The outright ban may face opposition in the city council, as it is an extreme measure.  People will have to walk the length of the pier and onto the street in order to smoke, which will pose difficulty for some. However, supporters of the ban will argue for it as both a safety precaution and a public health initiative.