CAUTION: A CIGARETTE BUREAUCRACY COULD BE HAZARDOUS

IT took a week to declare victory for Proposition 10, the tobacco tax
that will fund programs for young children. The measure squeaked by
with the slimmest of margins. Yet considering that the supporters of
Proposition 10 were outspent 3-to-1, and considering that Californians
tend to frown on new taxes, the fact that it passed at all is an
encouraging indication that the people in this state are concerned
about our youngest residents.

The tobacco industry spent $30 million trying to distract voters from
the merits of Proposition 10 with ads that focused on minor --
sometimes imagined -- flaws. Most voters weren't buying.

Proposition 10 raises the state tax on a pack of cigarettes from 37
cents to 87 cents. That's in addition to the 35-cent price increase
expected as part of a major tobacco lawsuit settlement.

Proposition 10 is expected to raise up to $750 million a year, most of
which will be spent by local commissions on local programs for
children under 6. Santa Clara County is expected to get $38 million to
spend on making child care affordable to working families, screening
children for health and learning problems, preventing child abuse,
improving nutrition -- whatever needs are considered most pressing.
The prospects are exciting.

It's important that the tobacco industry's vision of Proposition 10 --
a bloated bureaucracy living off the hard-earned money of lower-income
smokers -- not come true. The public and the media must scrutinize the
workings of the state and local commissions. Operating expenses must
be kept to a minimum.

If Proposition 10 succeeds, and the higher tax causes many smokers to
quit, the revenues from the tax will begin to drop. Eventually new
revenue sources will have to be found to support children's programs.
The willingness of the Legislature and the taxpayers to invest more
money in young children will depend on how well the Proposition 10
money is used to make small children safer, healthier and better
prepared to succeed in life.

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady