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San Francisco is set to implement a comprehensive ban on outdoor smoking, targeting the use of cigarettes on bar patios and parklets citywide.
This decision has sparked significant backlash from local business owners, who view the stringent measure as another example of excessive government regulation threatening the viability of neighborhood bars.
The disputed ordinance, being developed by Supervisor Myrna Melgar in collaboration with Dr. John Maa of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society, aims to extend the smoke-free outdoor policies already applicable to restaurants at both state and local levels, according to KTVU.
If approved, the legislation would prohibit patrons from smoking while enjoying their drinks in outdoor bar areas throughout the famously progressive city.
Dr. Maa, a surgeon who supports the initiative, argues that the measure is essential for shielding patrons, employees, and passersby from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
“This is to protect the patrons of these establishments and also importantly, the employees and anyone who might be exposed to secondhand smoke,” Maa told the outlet.
He argued San Francisco should put public health ahead of business profits.
But furious bar owners have slammed the proposal as an example of heavy-handed government meddling.
Neil Holbrook, co-owner of O’Reilly’s Pub in Haight-Ashbury, said his parklet was intentionally created so customers could smoke while having a beer.
“One of the reasons we have a parklet is so people can come out and have a cigarette with their beer,” Holbrook said.
Other critics have rallied around an online petition that lists dozens of bars, worried that the ordinance could deal a blow to already struggling businesses and gut their revenue.
Skeptics also questioned how the law would even be enforced, noting smokers may simply move a few feet down the sidewalk — potentially leaving bar owners stuck policing public spaces beyond their doors.
Melgar’s office has tried to ease concerns by claiming the ordinance is not meant to be punitive, and that officials plan outreach efforts and will offer free signage to encourage compliance.
Yet for many locals, the proposal feels like just another aggressive nanny-state crackdown in a city already infamous for its maze of regulations.
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will vote next month. If approved, the smoking ban would take effect early next year.