11/10/1980 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. this ordinance would not affect them. He feels this will have an adverse effect on bringing convention business to town. He feels the council should look at the investment that has been made in the Performing Arts Center and he feels that this ordinance would give the County a certain advantage. How- ever, he feels everyone should be able to work together. Private industry is opposed to this legislation, but he feels there is room for all to work together, but this ordinance would prevent that. He would urge the council not to pass this counterproductive, unnecessary ordinance, Les Sellars stated that he is representing barbers and hairdressers. He owns a shop which has a section for non-smokers already. It is a small shop and it would put them out of business if this ordinance were passed. Fred Lee, 2975 Gilham, President of the Lane County--Oregon Restaurant and Beverage Association, stated that he is vigorously opposed to this ordinance because it would seriously affect their industry. They do not feel it is necessary. If his customers dictated such areas as a necessity, he would implement it himself. Cordy Jensen, 633 Spyglass, stated that some restaurants would not be affected tremendously, but because his are in older buildings, they would be. His businesses are dinner houses. He is a non-smoker, but believes passage of this ordinance would be detrimental to his livelihood. Some facilities lend them- selves to non-smoking areas, but his do not. They are very busy on weekends, . and most people in large groups will be with at least one person who is a smoker. Most restaurants are ventilated pretty well and it will be difficult for them to enforce, but it looks as if they will have to do the enforcement. He does not feel something like this can be legislated. If people demand it, it will be impl emented, but it has not been demanded. Jim Jennings, 888 West 2nd, Gem Vending Company, stated this issue is not about smoKlng, but rather paSSlve smoking. There is no medical evidence that supports the contention that passive smoking is bad for a person's health. The conclusion in the 1979 Surgeon General's report is that "healthy non-smokers exposed to cigarette smoke have little or no physiologic response to the smoke, and what response does occur may be due to psychological factors." His company has a one-half million dollar payroll, and employs 25 people. They pay over $250,000 in City and County taxes. If this ordinance affects 30 percent of their gross, then that would affect everyone working for them. He sees this as an issue of unemployment and personal freedom. The customer is the ultimate consumer and that is where the decision should be made, not by the council. There is no medical basis to declare a health hazard. Ronald Reagan was elected by a mandate of the people for less government control in personal lives. This ordinance would be creating more government control in personal lives. He distributed written testimony regarding the White Froeb study which shows that any effect, if there is an effect from passive smoking, is psychological. In the same issue of the New England Journal of Medicine referred to earlier, March 27, 1980, Or. Claude Lenfant and Barbara L1U of the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, said that this study provides no proof that the reported . MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 10, 1980 Page 11