The commission instead agreed to launch a public education campaign to discourage smokers at public parks.

"We didn't want to get into the moral ethics of smoking," said commission chair Helen Chapman. "Our purveyance is to look at the safety of parks and the maintenance of parks."

David Low, a spokesman for the group, was disappointed at the decision.

"We definitely wanted to see a complete ban," he said. "(Through our research), it's clear that the residents of San Jose support smoke-free environments."

The group is a coalition made up of organizations such as the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and Asian-American Recovery Services Inc.

However, Chapman said that the commissions managed to work out a compromise. In the first vote that the commissioners took, they rejected the staff's recommendation to rely on anti-smoking pamphlets instead a ban.

"We were looking for something stronger," Chapman said.

In the second vote, commissioners recommended that the staff work with the city attorney to amend the current ordinance so that the parks, recreation and neighborhood services department can ban smoking at large city events, such as Christmas in the Park, or at parks where a high number of children play. Additionally, commissioners asked staff to partner with members of the collaborative group on an education campaign. The education outreach could include signs and literature.

"I see this as a win-win situation," Chapman said. "I think what the coalition is doing is wonderful. I don't want them to be discouraged."

Low said Tobacco-Free Collaborative would be happy to cooperate with the city's park staff but said the group is still shooting for a bigger goal.

"We're still looking at completely smoke-free parks. It might not be for a while," he said.

The city council will vote on the commission's recommendation next month.