Smoking Ban Expanded to City-Owned Parks

The Laguna Hills City Council has extended the city's strict smoking ban to include all parks.

The ban was opposed by Councilman L. Allan Songstad Jr. and Mayor Joel Lautenschleger, who said a public hearing should have been held before the new policy was adopted. "I think we are overstepping our bounds a little," said Lautenschleger, a nonsmoker.

The council proposed the city park ban while clarifying an ordinance that already prohibited smoking outside restaurants and bars.