Schwarzenneger Wants A Smoker's Haven in State Capitol
Cigar-loving California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has anti-tobacco crusaders smokin' mad over his plan to create a "smoking plaza" inside the California state capitol.
He even plans to rip off part of a roof over a courtyard where smokers can puff away to their heart's content.
Taking the roof off would get around state law that bans smoking inside offices, restaurants and bars, according to London's Telegraph newspaper.
The governor is a favorite target of anti-smoking fanatics because he unabashedly enjoys his stogies and is seldom seen without a cigar in his mouth. He was even feted by Cigar Aficionado magazine which featured him on two covers.
The governor's spokesman, Terri Carbaugh, told the Telegraph that Arnold will be among those enjoying the smoking plaza. "It's a more positive environment where they can all be on an equal footing, as opposed to everyone going into the governor's office where he's behind his desk."
"He insists that [cigar power] has already paid political dividends" the Telegraph reported, noting that the gift of a couple of his favorite cigars to Democratic legislative leaders helped to persuade them to put his $15 billion bond issue to rescue the state's budget on the March primary ballot.
In 1995, California passed laws banning smoking in all restaurants in the state, and in 1998 the ban was extended to cover bars. In late 2003 the prohibition was further extended to ban smoking anywhere within 20 feet of a public building's entrance.
The Telegraph reported that dozens of protesters gathered at the state capitol building in Sacramento last weekend up in arms over Schwarzenegger's proposed smoking plaza. Featured in the protest was a memorial composed of photographs of prominent dead smokers, including actors and politicians.
Schwarzenegger isn't the anti-smoking lobby's only celebrity target, the Telegraph noted, citing Catherine Zeta-Jones and her husband Michael Douglas, who both smoke and who regularly light up in films. They have been on the receiving end of a nationwide letter-writing campaign.
