There is huge controversy in New York City right now over a proposed smoking ban that would make it illegal to smoke in all of the city’s public parks and beaches.

Sound familiar? Last May, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed an almost identical bill that would have banned smoking in all of California’s public parks and beaches. The Governor’s reasoning behind the veto - it was “an improper intrusion of government into people’s lives.”

This sign could soon become common in New York

Will New York City follow California’s lead and let the smoking laws remain as they are, or will it pass the ban and create this stringent law? 

There are a few factors to be considered, especially when comparing the state of California to New York City: one of the most obvious things that could attribute to the difference is the political ideology of each of the leaders; Governor Schwarzenegger is a Republican, and therefore against too much government involvement; while Mayor Bloomberg used to be a Republican, but became an Independent in 2007.

I think Governor Schwarzenegger is right in saying that it is a lot of intrusion since the government would be severely limiting the ability of citizens to smoke, even outside. However, with smoking, that might not really be a bad thing. After all, it might deter people from lighting up and cause them to cut down how often they smoke, since it would be difficult to find a place to do it, and it will greatly decrease the amount of secondhand smoke affecting other residents.

This is another favorable reason for the ban to pass in New York; the average population density is 26,343 people per square mile, compared to just 7,828 people per square mile in Los Angeles. In New York City, when one person smokes, a lot more people have to breathe it in than in California. Therefore, this ban already potentially has more benefits than the California law would have. 

The areas affected by the ban are extremely different too, even though both bans focused on public parks and beaches. California has a lot more beaches than New York City does - not to mention people actually use the beaches in California - and in New York many spaces that count as public parks are constantly busy and are huge tourist attractions, such as Central Park, Coney Island and even Times Square.

Both bans also affected areas that are important marketing tools for the area. So while Schwarzenegger may have been concerned about pushing some people away from California's beaches, Bloomberg doesn’t seem concerned with the possible effects on some of New York’s largest attractions. 

While the statewide ban was rejected, recently it seems that California may be following New York’s lead and taking steps towards stricter smoking laws city by city, starting with Santa Monica.

On September 10, Santa Monica passed its own smoking ban. Though not as intense as the rejected statewide ban, it outlawed smoking within 25 feet of any apartment building door, window or vent, making it virtually impossible for residents of some buildings to even smoke on their own patios and balconies. If this ban seems to make positive changes in the community, other local areas could see that and adopt their own similar ordinances.

The same could happen in New York: if the city’s proposed ban has its desired effects and the controversy fades, the governor or state Legislature may want to consider making similar changes to the rest of the state. 

Regardless of the differences, there is one similarity between the two places now: smokers are really going to have a hard time finding places where they can light up without being slapped with a fine. With its stereotype of being more health conscious, you would think Los Angeles would be the first city to implement such guidelines; but maybe New York is on its way to creating a new image as a city more concerned with health and well-being.

Will this ban work? Are smoking New Yorkers just going to quietly put down their cigarettes? I think one possible consequence is that smokers are simply going to congregate to the few allotted spaces left and the smoke in that area will become more present. We can only wait and see what happens in New York City and some California cities, and watch for a new trend that may start: the government taking huge steps into people’s lives in an effort to keep their cities and states healthier and smoke free.  

Reach Reporter Samantha Rullo here