There is even more bureaucratic insanity that is being implemented by law in California.
Officials in San Francisco have banned renters from smoking tobacco in their apartments. However, smoking a marijuana joint inside rental units is perfectly fine.
The Board of Supervisors approved the new law in 10 to 1 vote, making San Francisco the largest city in the country to adopt the tough measure against tobacco smokers, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.Lawmakers originally proposed to ban marijuana smoking in buildings, but they reversed their position after cannabis activists protested that it was the only legal place they could smoke.
San Francisco is now one of 63 California cities and counties implementing such a smoking ban.
Those against the ban argued that it infringed on their rights inside their homes. Supporters said it’s important to protect the health of nonsmokers — particularly low-income residents who live in dense apartment buildings….The Department of Public Health will be responsible for enforcing the new law. Under the ordinance, the department must first try to educate violators and help smokers quit. Repeat offenders could be fined $1,000 a day but can not be evicted for a smoking violation.
In related news, the average apartment rents in San Francisco are now down more than 25 percent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
In November, median rents in San Francisco stood at $2,054 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,377 for a two-bedroom – down 3.4 percent for the month and 24.5 percent since March, according to data from ApartmentList. It comes as fears of density in the pandemic, harsh lockdown policies, and sharply rising violent crime all contribute to a mass exodus from expensive coastal cities, hollowing out rents. Meanwhile, more affordable mid-size cities have seen rental markets heat up, with Boise, Idaho leading the pack with median rents up 9 percent since March – though they are still less than half of the prices in San Francisco.
To turn around a phrase from the famous “Field of Dreams”: If you destroy it, they will leave.
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