A new bill, AB 1594, would expand smoking laws in California, to include CSUs and community colleges.
Currently under state law, you cannot smoke within 20 feet of a public building, or inside a public building. At Bakersfield College and CSUB, there are designated smoking zones.
BC's board of directors will decide during their February board meeting if they are going to ban smoking altogether from campus.
That would ideally take effect by the summer, according to officials.
Students at both schools had mixed responses to the bill. Some said they think smoking is a "dirty habit" or "smells bad" and said they wouldn't mind it being banned.
One student said she thinks it would have a positive and healthy impact by keeping students away from the habit while they're at school.
Others say it's not their choice to take away someone else's right or freedom to smoke. One smoker who was using a vape pen at CSUB said he thought the bill would violate his rights.
The bill is still in the early stages of the legislative process.
