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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0013.201 2002-2004 Jun 17 03 05:24p RCS 5249072 P•1 Coalition for a Tyobacco Free iaaw11t1 FAX COVER SHEET ?J9 N. Aukm $ineS Swu~7.0/ ~ (,-Z, 7~ rr„nvrrnl !n v~sl? FLLx Number: / ,J"c7 j' a ..Z G, Fur (n»a') SY-'N177 n:ItC. ~~//l.' F / ~ % (i p .nvcrnin~an>trd To: ~l /~(CV! 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Arakaki Chairperson llawaii County Cowzcil 25 Aupuni Street 1-liln, llawaii 9G72U RE: Bill 2GU, Drag 3 - Related to Smoking in Certain Placa~ Chairman Arakaki and Council Members: My name is Caitlin Capilla and 1 am submitting my testimony in support of Bill 260, which includes ban, restaurants and nightclubs. 1 was bom and raised in ICona and graduated from Konawaena High School with the Class of 2000. When I was G years old, T was diagnosed with asthma and because my Mom also has asthma, she made sure 1 attended the program that the Amcxican Lung Association offcrtxi so that 1 would understand how to live with it. 1 remember they talked to us about being eaposc:d to tobacco smoke so 1 made: 6ure to tell my Uad he could not smoke anymore in otu• house because it could make me sick and he stopped. 1 Icll Kona. to go to college in California; the only places that would consider me 1'or work, a person with no job skills, were restaurants and bars and T gladly took the first job offimed. 1 didn't think about how the tobacco smoke would affect mc, and then I found out 1 did not noel to worry because C:alifomia is smoke-free! At was a great environment to work in. Last year J moved to Honolulu to go to school because I was very homesick. I transl'Crretl t0 the same rest:wranl that 1 worked ai in California and the schedule fit perfectly with school. After a few weeks, T began to feel ill and 1 was so tired at the end of the day, T had a very hard time getting to school. T just could not breathe and began having asthma problems again. 1 had to use my inhaler constantly, jusC to get through the night. I was very happy when the smoking ban bill passed on Oahu. It changed the quality of my life enormously. Our restaurant/har stayed busy and customers did not complain about having to go outside to smoke. T found that many people arc used to thuse laws and were very surprised to find out that smoking was allowed, before the law w:ta ch:mgcd. Please pass this bill; it will protect the health of all workers, especially those like me who don't really have a choice in where they work. Getting my ulucation will give me a choice in my futtue career but for now i need to work in this industry, like many of my Gicnds, and you have an oblil;ation to proiecl us from exposure to this carcinogen. Do the right thing... soon; it's my lift you arc playing with here. • Si;nccrcly, Caitlin [).K. Capilla 74-5148 Ki'doa PI. Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Jun 17 d3 OSt24p RGS 5248072 p.3 >une 17, 2003 Honorab/e James Y. Arakakl Chairperson Hawaii County Council 25Aupuni.Sbeet Ni/o, Hawaii 96720 RE.• Bi// 260, Oran 3 - Re/aced to Smoking !n Certa/n Places Chairman Arakaki and Council Members.• My name is Toni Symons and I am submitting my testimony in support of Bl// 160, Drag 3 thatlncludes bars, restaurants and Mghtc/ubs. At Fist, it appeared b5at you were very committed to pn7tect/ng your constituents and visitors m Hawai7. When Bl// 260 was introduced, it was quick/y lauded as b4e 'toughest" "sbvngest"bill in the State. Health advocates, community members and members of the wunci/seemed to understand the dangers ofsecondhand smoke. You created opportunities for b`re public to speak to the issue and I assumed you were listening as they spoke. If you r~ecal/, the majority ofpeople terrifying in Hilo and Kona were /n favor of the original draft. Now here we are, trying to decide whether people who work in bars deserve the same protection from secondhand smoke as all others and of course, we know they do. Secondhand smoke does NOT discrrm/nale; it will eventual/y harm people who are exposed to it. Recency a p/e sold they 'might"lose business or that their smoking customers wont frequent their bars if lheygo smoke-free, so you introduced amendments that w/l/ total/y defeat the purpose of this legislation, bhe protection of workers who are exposed to deadly carcinogens along wJth the protection of chi/dren and visitors. Mr Arakaki, do you rea//y believe that bar customers wit/stop going to bars because of this new ordinance? If you know your community at all, you must know this is not true. I really doubt this wi// happen because the same customers have been going to the same bars for years, rn sing karaoke, to socialize with their friends, to share their fish/ng toles and to re/ax, they donT go to bars so they can smoke! I personalty visited a fair amount of the bars you are concerned about and it was obvious that many of the patrons have been going to these establishments for years and have builtpersona/ relationships around this social activity, they are notgoing to slop gong because of b5is law! Besides, they can sti//smoke; theyjust have to smoke outside, what /s the big deal about that! In Jun 17 03 05:24p RCS 5249072 P•4 fad, my friends and family have staved away from many bars because ofa/l the smokers, some have so much smoke you can't breathe! I assure you that if Bi/l Z60 passes with the bars inducted, many bass may actually see an increase in business because non-smokers w1/l feel more comh~rtab/e patronizing these p/aces, knowing they won 2 have to breathe carcinogens As far as workers having a choice to work in non-smok/ng workplaces, you know this is not bve for our youth. Many of our youth leave high school without job ski//s; they know they have to work, especia//y /f they are attending co/%ge. I don? know ofany companies willing to hire these kids without ski/ls, but restaurants and bars wit/genera/ly hire the youth and many are willing to accommodate school schedules Our youth have an opportunity to make tips, increasing their wage, and oRen these estab/Ishments wit/give youth an opportunity to move up and make more money. Despite what you might believe, our youth on the Big Island don2 have many choices that is why they are speaking out in support of dhis bill. My daughter had to find a job in Honolu/u when she returned from Califnmia, aRer leaving Kona to go to college. Fortunate/y, she was able to transfer to the same restaurant that employed her in Ca/ifvmia. We forgot that tobacco cou/d be a prob/em as California is smoke-free, she assumed that it was the same /n Honolulu. Al/ ofa sudden, her asthma began giving her problems She was diagnosed with asthma when she was 6 years old, like many of the kids on the Big Island. I never thought to consider how the cigarette Smoke would a!i`ect her in her workp/ace; it serious/y coniributeo'to her it/Hess I often wondered if the job was worth it, butshe feels verystrong/yaboutgetting hereducatron and in order to do so, she had to work. Watching her strugg/e is what led me to be involved in this issue. I am happy to say that once the ban went into effect I saw a dramatic change in her health and her restaurdnx/bar did not see any drop in business. The day may come when Counties could be he/d liab/e for these types of exceptions It could be shown that you were aware of ~e health risks, yet allowed the exception to pass Does HawaiS County want the possibility ofa lawsuit? Da not al/ow yourselves to be a possib/e accessory to a death, make the right decisfon tt7 protect a// peop/e. It is the right thing to do. n ji '~cere/y, ~ = Toni Ann Symons 74-5148 Kla/oa P/. Kai/ua-Kona, H196740 808-3Z9-6459