Dana Stevens, Executive Director, Community, Action, Service & Advocacy

On July 24, 2019, the Santee City Council voted to adopt an ordinance to make City of Santee public parks 100% smoke-free.  Santee Solutions and Community, Action, Service & Advocacy worked with community members and other groups to educate policy makers and the public about the negative health impacts of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Dee Swanson, a 28-year Santee resident, spoke at a June council meeting using the phrase, “100% smoke-free, 100% of the time,” which was repeated by Council champions and other residents. While City Council members considered allowing smoking areas at community events, they changed their minds to make all of Santee’s eight parks completely smoke-free.

After hearing community members advocate for policy changes that would positively improve the health of Santee residents, Mayor John Minto confirmed his support of implementing smoke-free parks at the June 26 City Council meeting.  During that meeting, the Council voted 4-1 in favor of making parks 100% smoke-free, 100% of the time.  No residents spoke against the smoke-free change at any of the meetings between May and July, which led to the Council finalizing the smoke-free parks ordinance on July 24.

Community, Action, Service & Advocacy has been contracted by the County of San Diego’s Tobacco Control Resource Program to provide health education to inform residents about the health hazards of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke and to help facilitate the adoption of smoke-free outdoor dining policies in East County.