No Smoking, Anywhere

It seems that Belmont, a few towns up the peninsula from us here in Redwood City, now has the most restrictive no-smoking ordinance in the state, and the enforcement unit to back it up.

It was Friday, Jan. 9, and Kirk Buckman was working the day shift out of Belmont. "I carry a badge," Buckman said. "It's shiny and gold. Pretty neat."

The law is the first of its kind in California, going far beyond the statewide prohibition against lighting up in businesses, restaurants and bars. In Belmont, it is now illegal to smoke inside any multistory, multiunit dwelling. The City Council says enforcement should be "complaint driven," which means neighbors have to rat each other out before officer Buckman can bring evildoers to the nicotine-stained bar of justice.

The story of how an 84 year old who has "trouble maintaining a thought" got the law enacted is actually pretty interesting.