Smoking in public is targeted

News from MySA.com

Smoking in Texas may soon become a private affair. A House bill working its way through the Legislature would place a statewide ban on lighting up in all public places and workplaces, including restaurants, bars, sports arenas and convention centers.

It's causing quite a debate amongst those who own, manage and frequent local restaurants and bars.

The legislation has Oscar Trejo holding his breath. Trejo, who works as the general manager of Liberty Bar in San Antonio, says his restaurant-bar already follows the city's limit on public smoking.

"I would like to keep things the way they are," he said. "But, eventually, I know the state ban is going to come. I just hope not too soon."

Although he doesn't smoke, Trejo says the economic success of his business rides on all patrons, whether they smoke or not.

"It will affect my business because it will mean we will be segregating smokers and nonsmokers, and I don't want to do that," he said. "We'll be segregating our smokers even more by not allowing them a place to come and smoke. Some of our regulars might stop coming."

Meanwhile, Tony Cantu, owner of Audry's Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio, is rejoicing about the prospect of smoke-free legislation.

"It's more of an economic situation for me," he said. "I need to utilize all the chairs and tables in the restaurant, and the majority of my customers are nonsmokers."

Cantu oversees a staff of nine employees. His restaurant has been a nonsmoking establishment since 2000.

"I think it's great," he said. "We were a nonsmoking restaurant way before it was mandatory in the city, and I would say we all feel a little healthier."

And for healthier staff and customers across the state, Cantu supports House Bill 9.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Myra Crownover, D-Denton, creates a statewide smoking standard. It would eliminate smoking in workplaces and public places. So far, the bill has the support of 44 representatives.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, filed an identical companion bill, Senate Bill 368.

"This is not a bill that says whether or not one should or should not smoke," Crownover said. "This is a bill that says you cannot negatively affect the health of our workers in the state of Texas."

Smoke-Free Texas, a health coalition comprising the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Texas PTA, is spearheading the smoke-free initiative.

San Antonio is one of 47 Texas cities with some type of limit on public smoking. San Antonio's municipal code requires restaurants to go smoke-free or to enclose smoking areas with four walls while creating a 10-foot buffer zone between smoking and nonsmoking areas.

Yolanda Arellano, executive director for the San Antonio Restaurant Association, a part of the Texas Restaurant Association, said the legislation creates a statewide standard that everyone would follow.

"There are so many different municipalities and codes," she said. "If we do this statewide, everyone would be on the same playing level and we wouldn't have an issue."

She said the 2003 municipal smoking code put many San Antonio businesses, including Maggie's Restaurant on San Pedro Avenue, out of business.

Meanwhile, the debate on the smoking ban continues, and smokers are lighting up while they can.