The legislation would also eliminate smoking in restaurant bars after June 30, 2003. Smoking would still be allowed in stand alone bars and nightclubs.

Honolulu will join 300 other cities across the country with such severe restrictions, according to Cynthia Hallett of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights.

City Councilman Jon Yoshimura, whose votes against the restaurant ban kept it from passing on three earlier occasions, said it was “time to do the right thing,” and switched his vote. Councilman Romy Cachola, who opposed the new law, said he would vote for it with reservations because he knew it was going to pass, and new Council member Ann Kobayashi added her vote to the 7-2 majority.

Cachola said the bill was the right thing but not at the right time, because many restaurant businesses were suffering as a result of the tourism downturn following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Council members Rene Mansho and John DeSoto voted against the measure. Mansho said it was burdensome to business, and DeSoto said he it would be inconsistent for the council to pass a ban on smoking if it did not pass restrictions on alcoholic beverages he has sought since the death of his son, who committed suicide after a night of heavy drinking.

Besides Cachola, Kobayashi and Yoshimura, council members voting for the ban included Steve Holmes, Duke Bainum, John Henry Felix and Gary Okino.