A BAN on smoking in city parks was rejected by the Garden Grove City Council on Tuesday (Shutterstock).

By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune

For the second time this year, the Garden Grove City Council turned down a proposal to ban smoking in city parks.

At Tuesday night’s council meeting , the council decided to reject the proposal raised by Councilmember Yesenia Muneton to consider a draft ordinance to prohibit the smoking of tobacco products in those places.

Muneton spoke in favor of the proposal, citing health concerns, litter and how common a similar law is in other cities in Orange County.

But Councilman Joe DoVinh, who had led the charge in opposition to the proposal in January, said his concern was “the quality of life. For smokers, their quality of life is smoking.”

A substitute motion to reconsider the matter at the first meeting in January – after the next city council election – failed for the lack of a second.

Also on Tuesday night, the council voted 7-0 in favor of a proposed ordinance to establish certain safety and security requirements for hotel workers.

The ordinance, if given a final approval at its second reading, would require hotels to provide (among other requirements) providing certain employees with a “personal security device” to summon help if threatened and;
• provide for “designated and trained responders” such as security staff or an on-duty manager to respond to calls for assistance;
• ability for employees to request reassignment away from an offending guest, and be given paid-time to to contact and cooperate with a police investigation.

Tourism is a major part of Garden Grove’s economy and its 24 motels and hotels provide $28 million to the city treasury annually.