The Manhattan Beach City Council has unanimously approved a citywide smoking ban covering all outdoor public places in town.

Despite pushback from e-cigarette users and vapor shop owners Tuesday, the council included e-cigarettes in the smoking ban, which applies to any public property, street, alley, sidewalk, parking lot or pathway as well as the outdoor dining areas of private businesses. The ban, the most stringent in the South Bay, does not impact private property.

Some residents maintained that e-cigarettes helped them stop smoking harmful regular cigarettes. Others argued that a smoker’s constitutional right to smoke infringes on the public’s right to breathe clean air and not be subjected to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

“We shouldn’t subject our residents to secondhand smoke,” Councilman Mark Burton said. “In your own home, you’re still entitled to smoke, drink, whatever you want to do. But we want to have a clean environment.”

The council said the ordinance is designed to be self-enforcing, and police officers will not be out searching for violators. However, people can face up to a $1,000 fine and a misdemeanor conviction for numerous offenses.

— Carley Dryden