Jump to full article: Inside Bay Area, 2009-10-29
Author: Matthew Artz Oakland Tribune
Intro: The closest thing to a smoking section for Fremont eateries soon will be the parking lot.
The City Council unanimously backed a new law Tuesday prohibiting restaurants from allowing smoking at outdoor tables.
The law, which is scheduled to go into effect in early December, puts Fremont on par with most East Bay cities, including Hayward, which already has banned outdoor smoking at restaurants, City Attorney Harvey Levine said.
Smoking bans for bus stops and parks could be next, council members said.
Fremont banned indoor smoking at restaurants more than a decade ago, but city officials had allowed restaurants to designate a contiguous half of their outdoor tables for smokers.
That law contributed to Fremont being one of only three Alameda County Cities to receive an "F" from the American Lung Association earlier this year.
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