A proposed strict ordinance seriously limiting the places one can smoke cigarettes in Belmont has caused outrage among many throughout the California city.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Belmont City Council has been criticized for proposing the stringent ban that limits approved smoking locations to single-family detached homes and their yards.
Key among those criticisms was a recent Web site posting that prominently featured Belmont Councilwoman Coralin Feierbach and nefarious Nazi SS chief Heinrich Himmler.
The council's proposal has drawn a warning from the director of the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project that it may be too much too soon.
"I think the folks in Belmont have to be very careful in what they do on this one," Jim Bergman told the Times. "There is always a question of how fast do you move."
The Times said that the first official draft of the ordinance is to be submitted to the City Council this winter to be voted upon.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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