San Francisco's put-upon smoking class might get one less place to light up starting next year. Although it is basically illegal to even think about smoking within 15 feet of a business, the Board of Supervisors may vote next year to ban smoking at official street fairs and outdoor events. Meaning you might get scolded the next time you light up a post-BJ cigarette at the Folsom Street Fair.

The new legislation is sponsored by San Francisco's chaperone Supervisor Eric Mar and would make "No Smoking" one of the conditions of the city permit needed to hold street fairs and outdoor events. Event organizers would only have to post notices and make announcements about the ban, but there are no plans to actually enforce this at any of the events. So the worst that could happen here is the anti-smoking crowd will get an extra air of entitlement the next time some out of towner lights up next to them at the Chinese New Year parade.

The ban isn't limited to cigarettes either: it includes all smoking, "tobacco or otherwise" — which could set a completely different tone at the next Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Still, without any enforcement behind this, no one is really in danger of receiving a citation for sparking up during How Weird.

In other smoking news: a Board committee also approved new rules that would make landlords disclose which units in their buildings allow smoking. That way, no one ends up living next to a chainsmoker.

[Chron]
[BCN/Appeal]