By Khalida Sarwari
The American Lung Association of California has released a new report that gives the city of Oakland the highest marks in tobacco control efforts among the state’s 10 most populous cities and the second-highest marks statewide.
The association’s annual “California State of Tobacco Control” report card graded California’s cities and counties in three categories: smoke-free outdoor air, smoke-free housing and efforts to reduce the sale of tobacco products.
“The city of Oakland recognizes the toll of disease caused by tobacco and has demonstrated true commitment to protecting public health from tobacco-related illness,” according to the association’s regional tobacco policy and program director Serena Chen.
With a score of 10 overall, Oakland received a high mark in protecting residents from secondhand smoke by requiring landlords and condominium sellers to disclose to potential renters and buyers the smoking designations of the units. The city was also commended for helping reduce youth access to tobacco through the nation’s toughest retailer licensing law, according to the association.
Other cities and communities that ranked the highest with an overall score of 5 or more were unincorporated Contra Costa County, the cities of Berkeley and Novato with a score of 9; Belmont received a score of 8, Dublin and Albany scored a 7, unincorporated Marin County received a 6 and San Francisco, along with Emeryville, Hayward, Pacifica and Ross scored a 5.
The majority of Bay Area cities and counties, the report reveals, are still failing to protect residents from secondhand smoke. Only 26 percent of cities and counties scored a passing grade of at least a ‘C’ out of 108 jurisdictions and 43 cities received an ‘F’ for not having tobacco control ordinances or protections from secondhand smoke exposures.
“The purpose of this report card is to let cities know where they stand statewide on local provisions to reduce tobacco smoke exposure and use,” Chen said.
According to the association, tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the country, responsible for 8,000 deaths per week and 1,000 deaths from secondhand smoke weekly.
“I believe in the mission of the AWL. We saw people were dropping like flies from this epidemic. I’m just carrying on their mission,” Chen said, an asthma patient herself. “We are fighting for air, for people’s rights to breathe.”
