Banning smoking at state beaches and parks is a win for the public and for the environment. There are times when a day at the beach feels more like a frolic in an ashtray, with cigarette butts liberally strewn through the sand and between our toes. On beach cleanup days in California, they are the No. 1 trash item that the volunteers pick up — 340,221 in a single day in 2009. That alone was a good enough reason for the Assembly to pass Sen ... Jump to full article >>