California landlords, who have long had the right to restrict pets, noise and even water beds in their units, can now prohibit smoking under a new law that took effect Sunday.

California Senate Bill 332, authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 6.

With Brown's signature, Padilla said, "we will see the availability of smoke-free, multifamily housing grow throughout California."

The new law requires landlords to specify in their lease/rental agreements areas where smoking is prohibited on their properties.

Craig Powell, whose Sacramento company Powell Properties LP owns a handful of upscale apartment complexes, noted that many apartment owners already have smoking prohibitions, but the new law will reinforce their stand.

"I think what this does is provide legal clarity … putting (landlords) on solid legal ground if they choose to have those restrictions."

Powell said he has had in-unit smoking restrictions at his properties for nearly a decade without a serious challenge to their legality.

Padilla said he was troubled by the fact that no state laws specifically addressed smoking restrictions in multifamily housing units, such as apartments and condos. The senator said multifamily residences account for more than 30 percent of California housing.

"While more than 86 percent of Californians do not smoke, there is currently very little smoke-free housing in California," Padilla said. "Living in multifamily housing should not compromise the health of renters or their children."

Padilla's measure faced little serious opposition and was supported by Aging Services of California, the American Diabetes Association and the California Medical Association.

The bill was accompanied by a blizzard of health studies indicating that secondhand smoke can travel throughout multifamily dwellings and cause harm to occupants. Children are particularly vulnerable, according to a 2010 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Powell speculated that the Sacramento apartment/condo market will not change drastically as a result of the law: "There are tens of thousands of (units) in the Sacramento area, and residents have freedom to choose.

"If they want a change, then residents are going to find a market."

Robert Best, the western region director of the Smoker's Club Inc., a national organization that advocates for smokers' rights, said he believes "landlords have the right to ban smoking in their complexes, but I don't think the state should be attacking smokers while the country is going down the toilet."

Best said California seems determined to segregate smokers from nonsmokers. He also said he believes the new law will add another layer of confusion for Californians who smoke.

"Take Glendale, for example. The (anti-smoking) restrictions there are very strict, but if you walk down the street there, there's an ashtray about every 20 feet," he said.

The new California law specifies that landlords must comply with existing federal, state and local requirements for changing terms of a rental or lease agreement signed before Sunday.

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