On September 17, the Emeryville (CA) City Council voted 5-0 on the final reading of an ordinance that will bring 100% smokefree air to all multi-unit housing in the city. Significantly, the vast majority of residences in Emeryville are multi-unit properties, so this new law will have a wide reach in this San Francisco Bay Area community.
Emeryville is the 47th community to adopt a law that requires multi-unit housing to be 100% smokefree and it is part of the growing trend in California for communities to take local action to create healthier and safer living environments that allow residents to breathe easier at home.
This Emeryville success is built upon several years of hard work, including community and policymaker education by the Alameda County Tobacco Control Program, resident outreach and engagement, planning and dedication by city staff, and advocacy by local residents and tobacco control partners. A big congratulations goes out to everyone who was involved in this campaign, and will continue to stay engaged to help the implementation process go smoothly.
Currently, all 47 communities with these 100% smokefree multi-unit housing laws are located in California, primarily in the Bay Area and Los Angeles area, but we know communities in other parts of the state are building capacity for policy activity, and we anticipate communities in other states to consider moving in this policy direction in the future.
To learn more, see ANR Foundation’s list of communities with smokefree multi-unit housing laws and visit our smokefree housing page for information and resources.
