ACR 254: Smoke-free multiunit housing.

This measure would encourage the construction and designation of smoke-free multiunit housing by local jurisdictions across the state to reduce health disparities and improve the health and well-being of all Californians.

WHEREAS, Secondhand smoke is a significant health hazard, the United States Surgeon General concluded there is no risk-free level of exposure, and the State Air Resources Board categorizes secondhand smoke along with the most toxic automotive and industrial air pollutants; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for approximately 2.5 million nonsmoker deaths from exposure-related health problems since 1964, an estimated 41,300 heart disease-related and lung cancer-related deaths among adult nonsmokers annually, approximately 480,000 premature deaths annually, and more than 400 infant deaths annually; and

WHEREAS, A majority of multiunit housing residents, including many smokers, support smoke-free policies in multiunit residences, and 74 percent of Californians surveyed approve of apartment complexes requiring at least one-half of rental units to be nonsmoking and 78 percent support laws that create nonsmoking units; and

WHEREAS, Thirty-two percent of Californians, 11.8 million people, live in multiunit housing, representing one-seventh of the total multiunit housing population in the country, and California voters approved Proposition 56 at the November 8, 2016, general election to eliminate tobacco use and safeguard against secondhand exposure where people live, work, and play; and

WHEREAS, Smoke-free multiunit housing policies are the most effective method to fully reduce secondhand smoke exposure in multiunit housing, 46.2 percent of Californians living in multiunit housing with smoke-free policies are still exposed in their home; and

WHEREAS, Secondhand smoke in multiunit housing is a significant threat to the health and safety of California children, a quarter of those living in multiunit housing are under 18 years of age, and the home is where children are primarily exposed; and

WHEREAS, Secondhand smoke exposure in multiunit housing contributes to tobacco-related health inequities and adults who live in multiunit housing are more likely to be from communities of color, from low-income or below the poverty line, have less than a high school diploma, and are current smokers and uninsured; and

WHEREAS, Secondhand smoke exposure costs the United States approximately $5 billion in healthcare and nearly $4.7 billion in lost wages; and

WHEREAS, In California, healthcare costs attributable to secondhand smoke exposure totaled over $241 million, and lost productivity costs were assessed at $119 million; and

WHEREAS, Adopting a smoke-free multiunit housing policy would save multiunit housing property owners in California $18.1 million in renovation expenses each year and creating completely smoke-free subsidized housing in California could save approximately $72.4 million per year; and

WHEREAS, The University of California at Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research and the American Lung Association Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing have shown a demonstrated commitment to working in underserved, low-income communities to educate and raise awareness among tenants and multiunit housing providers about the negative health effects of secondhand smoke and the benefits of implementing a smoke-free housing policy; and

WHEREAS, The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Smokefree Air For Everyone (SAFE), Community Development Technologies (CD Tech), FAME Corporations, and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA), have also shown a demonstrated commitment to effecting increased access to smoke-free housing through community capacity building, and improving the health and welfare of Los Angeles low-income communities by protecting the public from unwanted secondhand smoke exposure in and around their homes; and

WHEREAS, The United States Surgeon General has concluded eliminating smoking in indoor spaces is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure; and

WHEREAS, Governor Brown approved a law affirming that landlords have the right to make their rental properties smoke-free; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature encourages the construction and designation of smoke-free multiunit housing by local jurisdictions across the state to reduce health disparities and improve the health and well-being of all Californians.

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Library, and the California State Archives.