SAN ANTONIO — For nearly a decade, smoking has been prohibited in San Antonio pavilions and playgrounds. Following a Thursday vote by city council, that ordinance will be expanded to include dramatically more outdoor areas.
San Antonio City Council voted 9-0 to prohibit smoking “in all city-owned public squares, plazas and parks,” while also granting city administrators the ability to “designate temporary smoking areas for certain special events.” The changes will take effect June 1, at which point city residents will start seeing signage posted in the areas where tobacco will now be illegal.
The ordinance cited research saying tobacco kills hundreds of thousands every year, making it “the foremost preventable cause of premature death in America.”
During the meeting, it was explained that several city entities supported the ordinance change, including the Parks and Recreation Board, San Antonio River Authority, and the La Villita Merchant Association.
Councilman Rey Saldaña and Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran were absent for the vote.
