Make San Diego Apartments Smoke-Free
The Issue
It is long overdue to make apartment living in San Diego smoke-free. It is time to extend the rights given to non-smokers in parks, beaches, workplaces, airports, restaurants, and other settings to rental living. The home is a sacred place greatly affecting an individual’s quality of life, and their right to enjoy clean, healthy air should be protected by law.
Currently, almost 90% of San Diego adults do not smoke, and it is one of 10 metropolitan areas (out of 198) with the lowest concentration of smokers in the country.[1] Surveys show that a majority of renters prefer smoking bans.[2] However, there are still no laws protecting San Diego renters from neighbors who smoke, and there are currently too few smoke-free rental options. With rental vacancies at such a low level,[3] it is unfair for the vast majority to have to choose between their health or having to settle for one of the few smoke-free communities that exist despite the many other important factors for choosing housing.
Smoke-free policies for housing are not discriminatory, and California made this clear in 2011 when it passed SB 332 that explicitly allowed landlords to prohibit smoking on rental properties, including inside individual units, and removed any excuse or fear that it would be seen as a discriminatory practice.[4] Already 15 counties and cities in California have passed legislation that require all apartment rental units to be 100% smoke-free, another 24 restrict smoking in at least a portion of private rental units,[5] and 114 (including El Cajon) restrict smoking in indoor and/or outdoor common areas.[6] The City of San Diego and the County have already made it a requirement that all public/affordable housing be 100% smoke-free[7], and it’s time to extend this protection to all its residents who rent.
Exposure to secondhand smoke is an unacceptable sacrifice to be made in one’s own home. All it takes is one smoking neighbor in the same building or in close proximity to present a health risk. As stated by the American Lung Association, “Secondhand smoke can migrate from other units and common areas and travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing, and ventilation systems.”[8] San Diego County officials have acknowledged: “Research has shown that ventilation and other air filtration technologies to control the movement of secondhand smoke between units in multi-family properties is ineffective and cannot eliminate the health risks caused by secondhand smoke exposure.”[9]
The dangers of secondhand smoke, which contains over 250 toxic chemicals,[10] are well documented and irrefutable. The EPA classifies it as a cancer-causing agent in the same class as asbestos,[11] the U.S. Surgeon General concludes there is no risk-free level of exposure,[12] and the California Air Resources Board declares secondhand smoke as a toxic air contaminant in the same category as diesel exhaust.[13] While secondhand smoke poses a health risk to everyone, children, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable, and even pets can suffer health consequences.[14] Furthermore, non-smokers’ health is endangered by “thirdhand smoke,” remnants of nicotine and other cancer-causing substances evident in residences (e.g., in dust, on surfaces) previously occupied by smokers even after a thorough cleaning.[15]
Besides protecting residents’ health and increasing the quality of life in rental communities, there are many other benefits from making multi-unit housing smoke-free. Public health is advanced further by an increase in the quit rate among renters at non-smoking properties, possibly more than 10 fold.[16] In addition, over 500 people die, thousands are injured, and millions of dollars in damages are incurred every year due to smoking-related fires in multi-unit housing.[17] Wildfires are another real risk from smoking, especially in drought-stricken San Diego, and discarded cigarette butts in 2011 caused at least 38 wildfires in California.[18] It can cost 6 times as much to rehabilitate an apartment after a heavy smoker moves out,[19] which only increases already high rents in San Diego. Additionally, current workplace protections need to be extended to the increasing amount of people who work from home to protect them from secondhand smoke, which also can impact their productivity.
We request our representatives - the City Council and Mayor -- to fully consider this issue and implement smoke-free policies for multi-unit housing that will improve public health, properly protect one person from the actions of another, and ensure a higher quality of life for the almost 50% of San Diego households that are renters[20]. Our government has rightfully protected non-smokers in a variety of settings, and these protections should be extended to one’s own home.
Please remain subscribed to Change.org e-mails related to this petition to learn about updates regarding this petition and how we all can ensure that change does indeed happen. Your e-mail and address is not shared with the petition author or recipient. If you are interested in being contacted directly about how you can help, please e-mail RentersSanDiego@gmail.com.
Please also share your stories and comments in the section below! Your full name will only be displayed below if you choose to leave a comment.
Check out our other petitions advocating for San Diego renters:
Other actions you can take include:
- Write a review (e.g., Yelp) about your rental
- Talk to your neighbors, and consider gathering signatures to present to your apartment management
- Share this petition!
- Contact your representative
- Understand and stand up for your legal rights as a tenant
Footnotes
[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/smoking-rate-metro-area-map-2014-10
[2] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.17.
[3] http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/13/apartments-rent-vacancy/
[4] http://www.sdcaa.com/legislationandpublicaffairs/local-issue/89-smoking/209-smoking-at-apartments
[5] http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreemuh.pdf found at http://www.cdc.gov/features/second-hand-smoke/
[6] www.lung.org/associations/states/california/assets/pdfs/sotc-2014/sotc-2014-california-tobacco.pdf
[7] http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreemuh.pdf found at http://www.cdc.gov/features/second-hand-smoke/
[8] http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/smokefree-housing.html
[9] http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/nov/04/ticker-apartment-owners-pushed-butt-out/
[10] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2006/index.htm
[11] http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/smoke/01.htm
[12] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2006/index.htm
[13] http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr012606.htm
[14] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.10.
[15] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21037269 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475626
[16] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.7.
[17] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.11.
[18] http://www.fire.ca.gov/downloads/redbooks/2011/2011_Redbook_Fires_byCause_byUnit_byCounty_CSR.pdf
[19] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.12.
[20]http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_B25106&prodType=table
The Issue
It is long overdue to make apartment living in San Diego smoke-free. It is time to extend the rights given to non-smokers in parks, beaches, workplaces, airports, restaurants, and other settings to rental living. The home is a sacred place greatly affecting an individual’s quality of life, and their right to enjoy clean, healthy air should be protected by law.
Currently, almost 90% of San Diego adults do not smoke, and it is one of 10 metropolitan areas (out of 198) with the lowest concentration of smokers in the country.[1] Surveys show that a majority of renters prefer smoking bans.[2] However, there are still no laws protecting San Diego renters from neighbors who smoke, and there are currently too few smoke-free rental options. With rental vacancies at such a low level,[3] it is unfair for the vast majority to have to choose between their health or having to settle for one of the few smoke-free communities that exist despite the many other important factors for choosing housing.
Smoke-free policies for housing are not discriminatory, and California made this clear in 2011 when it passed SB 332 that explicitly allowed landlords to prohibit smoking on rental properties, including inside individual units, and removed any excuse or fear that it would be seen as a discriminatory practice.[4] Already 15 counties and cities in California have passed legislation that require all apartment rental units to be 100% smoke-free, another 24 restrict smoking in at least a portion of private rental units,[5] and 114 (including El Cajon) restrict smoking in indoor and/or outdoor common areas.[6] The City of San Diego and the County have already made it a requirement that all public/affordable housing be 100% smoke-free[7], and it’s time to extend this protection to all its residents who rent.
Exposure to secondhand smoke is an unacceptable sacrifice to be made in one’s own home. All it takes is one smoking neighbor in the same building or in close proximity to present a health risk. As stated by the American Lung Association, “Secondhand smoke can migrate from other units and common areas and travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing, and ventilation systems.”[8] San Diego County officials have acknowledged: “Research has shown that ventilation and other air filtration technologies to control the movement of secondhand smoke between units in multi-family properties is ineffective and cannot eliminate the health risks caused by secondhand smoke exposure.”[9]
The dangers of secondhand smoke, which contains over 250 toxic chemicals,[10] are well documented and irrefutable. The EPA classifies it as a cancer-causing agent in the same class as asbestos,[11] the U.S. Surgeon General concludes there is no risk-free level of exposure,[12] and the California Air Resources Board declares secondhand smoke as a toxic air contaminant in the same category as diesel exhaust.[13] While secondhand smoke poses a health risk to everyone, children, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable, and even pets can suffer health consequences.[14] Furthermore, non-smokers’ health is endangered by “thirdhand smoke,” remnants of nicotine and other cancer-causing substances evident in residences (e.g., in dust, on surfaces) previously occupied by smokers even after a thorough cleaning.[15]
Besides protecting residents’ health and increasing the quality of life in rental communities, there are many other benefits from making multi-unit housing smoke-free. Public health is advanced further by an increase in the quit rate among renters at non-smoking properties, possibly more than 10 fold.[16] In addition, over 500 people die, thousands are injured, and millions of dollars in damages are incurred every year due to smoking-related fires in multi-unit housing.[17] Wildfires are another real risk from smoking, especially in drought-stricken San Diego, and discarded cigarette butts in 2011 caused at least 38 wildfires in California.[18] It can cost 6 times as much to rehabilitate an apartment after a heavy smoker moves out,[19] which only increases already high rents in San Diego. Additionally, current workplace protections need to be extended to the increasing amount of people who work from home to protect them from secondhand smoke, which also can impact their productivity.
We request our representatives - the City Council and Mayor -- to fully consider this issue and implement smoke-free policies for multi-unit housing that will improve public health, properly protect one person from the actions of another, and ensure a higher quality of life for the almost 50% of San Diego households that are renters[20]. Our government has rightfully protected non-smokers in a variety of settings, and these protections should be extended to one’s own home.
Please remain subscribed to Change.org e-mails related to this petition to learn about updates regarding this petition and how we all can ensure that change does indeed happen. Your e-mail and address is not shared with the petition author or recipient. If you are interested in being contacted directly about how you can help, please e-mail RentersSanDiego@gmail.com.
Please also share your stories and comments in the section below! Your full name will only be displayed below if you choose to leave a comment.
Check out our other petitions advocating for San Diego renters:
Other actions you can take include:
- Write a review (e.g., Yelp) about your rental
- Talk to your neighbors, and consider gathering signatures to present to your apartment management
- Share this petition!
- Contact your representative
- Understand and stand up for your legal rights as a tenant
Footnotes
[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/smoking-rate-metro-area-map-2014-10
[2] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.17.
[3] http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/13/apartments-rent-vacancy/
[4] http://www.sdcaa.com/legislationandpublicaffairs/local-issue/89-smoking/209-smoking-at-apartments
[5] http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreemuh.pdf found at http://www.cdc.gov/features/second-hand-smoke/
[6] www.lung.org/associations/states/california/assets/pdfs/sotc-2014/sotc-2014-california-tobacco.pdf
[7] http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreemuh.pdf found at http://www.cdc.gov/features/second-hand-smoke/
[8] http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/smokefree-housing.html
[9] http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/nov/04/ticker-apartment-owners-pushed-butt-out/
[10] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2006/index.htm
[11] http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/smoke/01.htm
[12] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2006/index.htm
[13] http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr012606.htm
[14] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.10.
[15] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21037269 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475626
[16] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.7.
[17] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.11.
[18] http://www.fire.ca.gov/downloads/redbooks/2011/2011_Redbook_Fires_byCause_byUnit_byCounty_CSR.pdf
[19] http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=SMOKEFREEACTIONGUIDE.PDF, p.12.
[20]http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_B25106&prodType=table
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Petition created on April 3, 2015