Tobacco Documents Online

RANCHO MIRAGE RESTAURA.NT. & MERCHANTS ASSOCI ATION 70-030 -~wy 111, Rlncho Mirage 92270 (619) 3414493 TO: All Rancho Mirase Businesses RE: Proposed SmoklnK Res~rlc~ion Ordinance Thanks co many of you who have voiced your opposition to the city counc~lts smoking restriction proposal and attende~ the Hay 7 hearing. ~hile the city council has ~odtfied its original position, we £eel the current proposal remains so strlct chat the nesatlve financial Impact co business is stlll severe. We ace moving In the rishC direction and with your continued help our requests for addltlonal chanses may ba ~.chlevad, In senaral ve seek a re~ulation that 8£ves priority consi~.eratlon to Cha wlahes o£ th, nonsmoker vh£~e scZi~ a~low~nS a buslnesspurson to accomodate Chose employees and customers who wish to ss~ke whenever/wherever possible. The threat ~o our business prosperlCy st111 remalnsl Our city council wXll again meet on this issue Ma~ 21, 1987 and we ask your support to acteud this important council meetins. Thank You, Domlnick Zsngarf, TI1981(X)46

~OR: CONTACT Rancho Mirage Kestaurant and Merchants Association 70-030 Highway III Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 Gordon Paulus (619) 321-9803 May 14, 1987 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Following a public hearing last week tha~: revealed a nmJorlty of citizens agalnat a proposed no-smoking ordinance, ~he Rancho Mlrage Restaurant and Merchants Aesoclatlon has asked the city council to work with the Io¢aI business community in a splr£t of cooperation to come up with a workable law. In a leeter submitted Thursday the association listed obJectione to the proposed ordinance passed on a 4-1 vote at the last city council meeting. Business leaders said the lis~ addresses economic issues in the proposal that would damage their competitiveness against surroundln~ resort communities. "The people have spoken," Domintck Zanga~t, president of the association said. "They support our request for a fair compromise for our business co~unltyo" Of the 60 speakers during the public hearing plot to the councll~s cons£deraclon of the ordinance, nearly two-ehlrds voiced opposl~lon to the smoking ban be£n8 considered. "The mood of ~he more then 500 persons in attendance at the meetin8 was obviously opposed to the ban," said Zangarl. "The city coun¢ll seemingly didn't listen to the overwhelming outcry against ~he smoking ban," he said. "After hours of tes~imony, the mayor read a statemen~ tha~ was obviously composed in advance of ~he public hearing. Tha~ ~ells me he has not been sensltlve-to the needs of the majority of h~s consEi~uen~s on this issue." A meeting wlch the Mayor to begin the cooperative ~ffort ~owards a viable ordinance will be requested by Zangarl. In its letter ~he association said, "The issue for us continues to be one of legislative and econo~/c parity with our business competitors in surroun~ing cities." TI19810047

Rancho Hirage Restaurant and Herchants Assn. add 1-1-I The letter was signed by four officers of the newly formed association elected durln~ a board meetln~ Wednesday. inzluding Zangarl, president; Willlam Marzonie, vice president; Ron Fletcher, secretary; and Ann ~utchlns, treasurer. "We firmly believe, and statistics from other cities . . . support our claim, ~hac the current proposal will have a negative impact on our business community and place us In an unfair competitive position with our neighborln~ communities," the letter said. "We do not want co be in ~he position of the Beverly Bills business c~nlCy ~hose doc~en~ed business losses continue to fall on ~helr c~ty counc~l's deaf ears, forcin~ tha~ association to seek legal and elective recourse. The association's objections focused on the inflexibility of the city's proposal to require one-thlrd of restaurant dining areas to be set aside for smokers, and the inability of mosu retail and other businesses to meet city requirements proposed for employee and customer smoking lounges in private businesses. Kestaurants would be faced wi~h havln~ to tuz~business away when more smokers than the set-aslde allows request smoking sections. The association suggested allowing flexibility to provide up to 50 percent of the dlnin8 area to accomodate smokers as demand requires. Any ex~anslon caused by customer demand would be contiguous with the one-third smoking set-aslde area. The association also asked that actual a~r sCudles by a qualified firm be conducted at each restaurant to determine if present ventilation systems are adequate. Many restaurants and new ho~el-resort facilltles have already installed special systems to clean all pollutants from the air for all ~usCo~are. According to air quali~y studies by federal and prlvace experts, cigarette smoke ~akes up only 2 co 4 percent of all i~door air pollution. TI19810048

axtd 2-2-2 More time wan asked for restaurants co co~ply with any ventilatiou adjustments required as a result of the scudies co help them avoid economic hardships during slower seasonable periods. The extension requested was to February I, 1988 insEead of December 31, 1987. The assoclaCion also asked for minor refinemenCs and clariflcacions on signage, definlclons of bars and ocher issues regardln8 restaurants. The association also requested changes ChaC would allow more reasonable treatment of customers in appropriate retail esc&blishmente. It also requested greater flexibility in workplaces to provide smoke-free environments for non-smokers while providing reasonable smokln8 areas for smokers. TI19810049