Pubdate: Fri, 22 Oct 1999
Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Santa Barbara News-Press
Contact:  http://www.newspress.com/
Author: Nora K. Wallace, News-Press Staff Writer

PROGRAMS TO BE FUNDED BY TOBACCO TAX EXPLORED

Film director Rob Reiner can easily imagine a day when no one will smoke
cigarettes.

The ardent anti-tobacco campaigner doesn't know when that day will be. He's
just confident it will come.

"Think about this," said the well-known actor from "All in the Family" fame.
"You have the tobacco industry now admitting that their product causes
cancer. Not 'maybe' causes cancer. But it causes cancer and it's addictive.
You tell me, what person in their right mind can wake up in the morning,
look themselves in the mirror and know they sell a product that ultimately
kills people? How do you live with yourself? It's only a matter of time
before people are made aware of this."

That's not a soliloquy from his most recent film, but part of Reiner's
advocacy for the California Children and Families Commission, which grew
from the passage last November of Proposition 10. That statewide initiative
levied a 50-cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes and raised taxes on other
tobacco products.

The tax will raise an estimated $700 million annually for programs to
promote early childhood development, particularly for families with children
under age 5. Studies have shown that birth to age 5 are the most productive
learning years.

Individual county commissions, once they've developed strategic plans, will
select and fund programs to best suit their region's needs. Santa Barbara
County stands to receive about $6 million annually to serve the estimated
30,000 children under the age of 5.

Each month, the state group travels to a different county for its regular
meeting. On Thursday, it was Santa Barbara's turn.

"This is an enormous investment in young children and giving them a good
start in life, giving them good quality health care and child care," said
Reiner, chairman of the state board. "It's all about getting children to
enter school ready to learn."

The Santa Barbara commission, which expects to finish its strategic plan
before the end of the year, "is one of the county commissions that are far
out in front," said Reiner in an interview before the meeting.

The statewide commission will receive 20 percent of the overall funds from
the tax, which it must use on communications, research and technical
assistance. It will use some of that money to create an anti-smoking
television campaign and run a Web site (www.ccfc.ca.gov). Also,the mother of
every child born in the state will soon begin receiving a "Welcome Baby"
kit, with videos and written information about health care, nutrition, child
care, early literacy and resources.

Though Reiner initially hoped to create such a program nationally, he thinks
California can lead the way.

"If we can't show a success here, and it's going to take a while before we
really show the results of this, you won't see these kinds of programs"
elsewhere, he said. "If we can make it work here, we will be a model for the
rest of the country."

During its more than five-hour meeting, the commission heard progress
reports from the commissions of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo
counties.

The seven state commission members in attendance also emphasized a
commitment to ensure that all elements of the state's diverse populations
are part of the process, including ethnic minorities and children with
special needs.

The commission voted unanimously to ensure that small counties, such as
Sierra and Modoc, receive a minimum of $200,000 in annual funding. Without a
supplement, Alpine County, for example, would have only received about
$7,500 to enact its Proposition 10 programs.

The commission faces some challenges from opponents, including a March 2000
ballot initiative to repeal the measure. There are also several different
lawsuits working through the courts, including one by the California
Association of Retail Tobacconists Inc., explained Ed Lozowicki, who
represents CART.

"Some of them have closed their businesses," Lozowicki said of the
proposition's impact on his clients. "Others have had a big drop in
business. The legislation has a discriminatory impact on them geographically
because consumers can buy (tobacco) over the Internet. It's really unfair."

But Reiner says the loss of the funds would be catastrophic.

"If you take away this, there are going to be millions of children across
the state who will not receive adequate health care and adequate child
care," he said. "I think it's pretty obvious why we need to maintain this."

Studies have shown that the increased price of tobacco has reduced cigarette
sales by 30 percent this year.

Reiner's advocacy carries over to his professional life as well. In his
current features, including "American President" and the newly released
"Story of Us," no one smokes on film.

"I am very, very conscious of the fact when people smoke in films that's
essentially an advertisement for the tobacco industry," said Reiner, who
says he's never smoked. "I know very well children are influenced by what
they see in films."

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