‘Santee Is Ashtray of San Diego,’ Says American Lung Association PR Rep

Is Santee the ashtray of San Diego?

That’s the contention of Debra Kelley, a spokeswoman for the American Lung Association, whose annual State of Tobacco Control Report Card flunked the city because it stands alone—allowing smoking in parks.

Her comments in a U-T San Diego report Thursday reignited a debate raging in Santee between foes and backers of parks smoking, typified by a letter to Patch from Mayor Randy Voepel and recent blog post by Joe Spencer, who spoke at Wednesday night's City Council meeting on the subject.

The U-T quoted Kelley as saying: “We are so sorry that the inaction of elected officials have made Santee the ashtray of San Diego. It’s a shame since this is a community that seems to take great pride in the quality of life for its residents.”