Smoking in Calabasas

As some of you may have heard, the great city of Calabasas, CA (where I work) passed a big ordinance regarding smoking in public places. Basically you can't smoke outside if someone asks you to stop. So, Ed is smoking a cigarette over in a isolated place far away from anyone. Jill spies Ed partaking of his vice. Jill walks within 20 feet, and suddenly Ed is now a criminal, not for what he was doing, but because Jill decided walk over to him. Ed must now leave, or be forced to alter his behavior immediately. Ed leaves the area, and Jill continues to follow, demanding that he extinguish his cigarette or be in violation of the law. Ed must eventually be subservient to Jill or face up to 6 months in jail and $1000 fine.

This happened to me today at lunch. I was walking across the parking lot to my car, minding my own business, enjoying my Camel Light. A woman, who was not even close to me, yells out "that's illegal". I yell back "only if I was close to you and you asked me to stop", thinking that would be the end of it. Instead she got closer to me and smirked and told me to put it out. Screw the law and screw the rich old woman who had nothing better to do. I did not put it out. I told her what she could do with herself. Well, not really, but I gave her a dirty look and continued walking. My coworker (a nonsmoker) who was with me threatened to punch her in the face for me though. It's nice when people have your back.