Tobacco Documents Online

6-31-1998 1 1 : 26,aP C,2Q~! i ~-- I SmDiegoUnion-'fl'ibviceA.rcltiveDocumamt U~y httpJ/www,ua:onrribunarom'aawyu...ne+L~taty+Libr;uy++"/oZSProposidon gyj~ (161,, saygtlaaviydeayy'i]~a~y'yncT9'atSafiyyynga3n6aa6yy~nSr 4o7d~935~a~ a'Mi a8yd PTo i11/~[Ido ~ s~+r I (Page 8-4 ) Rob Reiner campaigns here for Prop.10 JeHMcDonald sTnFF wlttT@.It 30-Ang-1998 Suuday 14o one called him "Meathead," and no one told him to shut his mouth. For Rob Reiner, yesterday was a day of sttmiping for a cause close to his hrart - raising money to help kide by usging the crnwd at the Horton Cnaad Hotol to pass Proposition 10, the ciprette-tax initietive on the Novew.ber ballot A,id his audicnce - albeit a fiiendly, partisan crnwd nf American Lung Association conventioneers - ate it up. "The tobacco industry will do anyffiing and everythine to defeat this," said Re.uur, who played the liberal son-in-law and frcqoent Archie Bunket target on the laadntauk 1970s sitcom, "Al1 In the Family." "Theyve ban telling lies to the American people for 60 years," Reiner said of toboooo company execotives. "And they will continue to do so." If approved by votero, the so-called Califomia Children and Families Initiative would impose an additional 50-cent tax on every pack of ciQarettes aold in Cali.fotnia The moaaore would r,ise $700 million a year - money tbat would be spent on cbild-development, edtuatiam, tral^*;, child care and similar programs for which th.re is so linf e money these days, proponents say. Reiaer, who is now directing fattue movies, told the audiepce t}ut the nation is closely wat¢bing Proposition 10. "We Irave topeas tbia at a high euough level to make the countty takc nor;ax," said Rciner" whose credits include - aman8 others -"17te Ameticen Piosident," "VJl1en Harry Met Sally," and "This is Spinal Tap." "OJhat we want to do is secd a very loud message," he said, "Whcu we passcd Propoaitfon 99, a lot of statos followed sait." That 1988 initiative imposed a 25teat per pack tax on cigarettes, raising millions of dollars fox anti-smo(ting eamgai8ns, stop-unoking clasees aud other health-related progiams. I of 2 o01/95 11_19:07 TCAL0476922

8-31-1999 1'=26AM FrZ01d San Diego Uaion•Tnbune Archive Documeat httprr7wxlv.uniont[ibuec.com/newsln...nc*Libtaty+I,ib[ay++%ZBPropOSibon Iroui,.+illy, the measoze worlced, and becaase fvwer people cmoke now than in 1488, thete is less tax money availabie for the tobaccotducation programs d>,at were ]mmcbed after Proposition 99 passed, Reiner said "Fif4y ocats a peck, eddly eftongh, is not as much as 25 cents a narJcwac 10 years ago," he said. Under terms of the initiative, 20 percent of the money raised would be spent on etate progrems, including child care, tnl xcon education, child.development mearch and other child-related semces. The balance of the money would be divided among ~state's 58 coimdes, which vaould appoint epecial commissions of ~th e and other experts to ovesxe the expenditures locally. San Diego County, for example, would receive between $40 million and $60 million a yeAr topay for family- rt, pre- atld, post•natal care, patentiug edvcatlon, domestio-vi~ ee intervenhon serv;ees and many other pm8mS sulmorters said. Mike Rrx1s, the former assemblyman who is directing the Yes on Propoeitioo 10 campaign, said muoh of the tax revenue would be humcled to local prograxae that now must setatch and fight for every dollar. "Tlne amo,mt of money is so sigaificant that you are going to have every health care and social service agency there at the very fust eomrsussion me.eting," he said. eepx;ehKlte;, ~''~--•~,.,_,.~-„..~~-h~:. . 2 oP2 0&11ro8 11:19:07 TCAL0476923