The city of Belmont recently passed a new anti-smoking ordinance, and SAMCAR, our sister Association of Realtors to the north has come out in opposition to the ban on smoking in multi-story buildings. I have mixed feelings about their position. They claim that there is a connection between the ordinance and the fact that there have been no sales of condominiums last month, and only two sales in the previous month.
I think that as many, or even more, people would buy in a non-smoking building...just as they choose non-smoking hotels. Is this just one more step in the fight for clean air, like smoke-free airplanes and restaurants?
My concern is more with the loss of private property rights. Shouldn't citizens be allowed the full use of their own homes without interference? I'm a nonsmoker, as are the majority of Californians, but I wonder at what point we stop interfering with people's lives. Do your rights end where mine begin?
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