Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed Senate Bill 4 which would have prohibited smoking at nearly all state beaches and parks.  He vetoed the bill on the ground that the law was too intrusive and would have done little to prevent littering.  The Governor's statements could not be further from the truth!

California is world famous not only because of its unique culture but more so because of its gorgeous beaches. The move calling for the ban on smoking at public parks could possibly be one of the best things to happen to the pristine and beautiful beaches of our golden state. 

 This would automatically clean up many parts of California. Beaches and public parks would no longer be dotted with cigarette butts and cigarette packs. Would you like your pet chewing on a cigarette butt or your child finding a cigarette butt and putting it in his or her mouth? There would be less littering, less pollution and most importantly non smokers would not be subjected to second hand smoking.

This ban is simply following a natural progression of events.  Already, more than 100 local governments across the state such as Laguna Beach, Malibu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Seal Beach in Orange County among others have banned smoking at their parks, beaches and piers. The environmental impact alone is huge. Did you know that marine life is at the risk of eating cigarette debris since it is found at a high volume on beaches.

Public parks are the play grounds for kids and youngsters. All of whom are impressionable. Do we really want them to be exposed to unbecoming sights of smokers? Cigarette smoking is known to be a high risk potential fire hazard. There is evidence that cigarettes have been the cause of many forest fires. A California Department of Forestry study that estimates smoking being accountable for more than 100 wildfires on an average per year, destroying more than 3,400 acres of precious natural resource. The banning of smoking at such places will certainly result in a decrease of smoking as well as compel those who do smoke to smoke less. 

The citizens of the state need to step forward and demand proper action be taken to protect our beaches and parks!