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As a handful of local municipalities adopt smoke-free ordinances banning cigarette and marijuana smoking in apartment buildings, the new campaign might be riding a tailwind.

In the last five years, Santa Monica, Glendale, Compton, Pasadena, El Monte, Manhattan Beach, and Culver City have implemented smoking bans for common areas of residential complexes or in private apartment and condominium units.

“The city of Los Angeles is sort of the donut hole,” Toy said. But that could soon change.

“I think what will happen eventually is all apartments and all condominiums will be smoke free,” said Esther Schiller, executive director of Smokefree Air for Everyone, noting the impact of increased funding for educational campaigns from the state’s Department of Public Health, the CDC, and the American Lung Association.

Smoking bans have gained traction over time. A statewide smoke-free ban in workplaces and public spaces took effect in 1995, while restaurants and bars became smoke free three years later − a move which seemed unthinkable back then.
“All of us who worked on all of these things were astounded,” said Schiller, who has been involved with the issue for almost 25 years.

Recent developments, however, seem promising for advocates in favor of a ban, especially as landlords come around to the idea.
Fame’s Brown estimated that the smoking ban would save the company an estimated $5,000 to $15,000 on fire and building insurance a year, in addition to tens of thousands of dollars on lost occupancy dollars and capital from cleaning units that had been occupied by smokers.

“I think it’s beneficial for the landlords,” said Joe Rudeas, who implemented a smoking ban at both a 17-unit property he owns in Hanover Park and a 34-unit property in North Hollywood. The result was a savings of thousands of dollars from not paying cleaning fees to get rid of cigarette odors.

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