But the ordinance found a fan in Ted Mioduski, a dentist from Loveland, Colo. "I'm all for it," he said. "I was under the impression that California was already pretty much a no-smoking state. Colorado is heading in that direction."
The smoking ban had the support of such groups as the American Lung Assn., the American Cancer Society, the Surfrider Foundation and COAST/Santa Monica, whose acronym stands for Communities Organized Against Smoking and Its Trash.
Bloom said research on the ordinance brought to light "just how bad the litter problem is with cigarettes."
"What we've learned is that people are discarding their cigarette butts everywhere," he said. "They litter our streets. When it rains, they go into the storm drains, and the storm drains empty directly into the bay. This is one of many reasons we have pollution in the bay."
Santa Monica already bans smoking at indoor restaurants. The newly passed ordinance would also cover outdoor dining areas on the pier.
The ordinance also bans smoking at bus stops and other public waiting areas and sets $250 fines for violators of a new state law banning smoking within 20 feet of any door or window of a government building.
