Where there is Smoke

Where there’s Smoke

The City continues to move forward and the inertia that carries it stops for no individual. The reality is that the perpetual mechanism of change is upon us and will create its own path with resultant outcomes unless we intervene to shape our future. Together we must determine what issues require our attention and direction. In this way we can better prepare the City to meet the expectations of our residents and our regional community.

Foster City is a community of families with young children who come to enjoy our parks, safe streets, and high quality of our public schools. The promise of a safe environment that is healthy and sustainable would seem to be of great importance to all of us. I have grown increasing concerned with the issue of smoking and its impact on our community. This serious issue has been brought to the forefront by a report, which scores Foster City as an “F”. This is in sharp contrast to Forbes magazine rating our City in the top ten best cities to live in.

During my tenure on the Foster City Park and Recreation committee, I had the pleasure to serve with Steve Okamoto.  He was chair and I was vice-chair respectively.  Now Councilmember Okamoto championed an effort, which resulted in a resolution to ban smoking at all public events.  The implementation went fairly smoothly with most, if not all, residents voluntarily complying.  The policy question that remains is whether the City should expand its non-smoking resolution and give it the force of law through an ordinance.  This issue was first proposed for our policy calendar by Councilmember Okamoto and earlier this year by me.  With the guidance of my fellow Council members and the indispensable input from our residents, we hope to bring clarity and draft a policy position for the City’s consideration.

The question is whether we should be using better efforts to protect our children and community from the hazards of second hand smoke.  We as a city spend a great amount of time, energy and dollars to build and maintain our city’s infrastructure and cosmetic appeal.  In fact, we fund the continued maintenance and growth through various capital improvement programs and initiatives. We do this because we consider these resources to be important enough to protect.  I posit that our most important resource is our young children.  We need to nurture and protect them.  This includes protecting them activities, influences or materials that can cause them harm.