Posted on 07/10/2002 12:55:58 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Tobacco foes, senator spar over budget bill
By James P. Sweeney
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
July 10, 2002
SACRAMENTO – State Sen. Steve Peace has long been considered one of the Legislature's brightest but most volatile members, a man known for delivering long, angry rants without warning.
But what happened yesterday at an intimate news conference seemed bizarre even for Peace or the Capitol's anything-goes standards.
A verbal donnybrook erupted when public-health advocates accused the El Cajon Democrat and others of disguising a major tobacco-industry bill as part of a new state budget.
Lisa Rea, a lobbyist for the American Heart Association, was describing the legislation as "a last-minute move . . . written by the tobacco industry," when an uninvited Peace jumped to his feet and interrupted her with an outburst.
"You're a liar!" Peace shouted. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to it. . . . You're a liar, Lisa."
As Rea tried to finish her remarks, Peace continued to shout over her, leading one person there to suggest calling security officers.
"Go ahead. Bring the security," Peace said.
Peace then mixed it up loudly with Paul Knepprath of the American Lung Association before Peace and Rea traded one last flurry of verbal jabs in an adjoining hallway.
"Why you did not support a portion of the . . . tobacco tax going to tobacco control prevention to save lives is beyond me," Rea shouted as Peace addressed a small crowd of reporters.
"Most of it's beyond you, and that's been the problem," Peace snapped. "I'm not going to cut a health-care program to support an advertising program."
A 20-year veteran of the Legislature, Peace has become one of the most influential lawmakers and in recent years has been the Senate's chief budget writer. Yet some of his outbursts have become part of Capitol lore, earning mentions in political almanacs.
He cannot run for re-election this year because of term limits.
The heart, lung and cancer organizations had convened a news conference to appeal for a restoration of tobacco-control funding and the defeat of a retail tobacco-licensing measure that emerged from Peace's office.
The outburst and ugly confrontation that followed were unusual because Democrats like Peace typically have been aligned with public-health groups as California enacted some of the nation's toughest laws against smoking.
But Rea noted that Dan Howle, Peace's former chief of staff and an erstwhile tobacco industry lobbyist, was behind the original push for the legislation. Peace confirmed that, saying Howle was uniquely qualified to negotiate with his former employers.
Peace told Rea that she and the rest of the health lobbyists were being used by the tobacco industry, which wants to scuttle the Senate's version of the budget in hopes of averting a tax increase of 63 cents per pack.
"They want it to blow up because they don't want the tax increase," Peace bellowed at Rea in the hallway. "Oh, you're so dumb. You can't fix dumb."
The legislation in question began as SB 1700 by Peace. It was amended, inserted into AB 1666 by Assemblyman Jerome Horton, D-Inglewood, and became part of the budget package approved by the Senate.
The measure promises to recoup up to $160 million a year through a crackdown on black-market cigarette sales. Of that, more than half the money automatically would go to tobacco prevention as well as to children and family programs financed by Proposition 10, a Peace aide said.
Health advocates believe that by creating a statewide licensing system for tobacco retailers, the bill contains "implied pre-emption" of local efforts to curb tobacco sales to minors.
Pre-emption of local governments is a top tobacco industry priority. Health lobbyists say cigarette makers prefer weaker state standards so they can continue to market to teen-agers.
Peace removed explicit pre-emption language from his bill, but subsequent analyses suggest the latest version could still be interpreted to supersede local laws.
Anne Blue, a lobbyist for the city of Los Angeles, said language has been developed to clarify the matter. Los Angeles, which has one of the state's toughest local tobacco-enforcement systems, remains opposed to the bill, but expects to remove its opposition when the clarifying language is added, Blue said.
Nonetheless, after working quietly with Peace's staff for months, the health groups' frustration boiled over.
"We're frankly tired of trying to make a bad bill better," the lung association's Knepprath said. "I have not seen any anti-pre-emption language that satisfies our concerns."
The heart, lung and cancer groups have been warning for weeks that pending cuts will gut California's renowned tobacco-control program. They have been pushing in vain for a share, up to 15 cents, of the proposed 63-cent tax increase for the programs.
The groups also are alarmed at plans to dedicate most of the state's annual payments from the master tobacco settlement to help bridge the state's $23.6 billion budget deficit. That move could consume most of those funds for years to come.
Gov. Gray Davis proposed such use of the settlement money, which has been supported almost unanimously by legislative Democrats, including Peace. But the dust-up with the coalition against smoking is somewhat ironic for Peace, who describes himself as "violently anti-smoking."
Peace is not so peaceful!
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One Pingy Dingy, Two Pingy Dingy...
I like the : Peace Erupts!!
So I guess there will be no more "Peace" in our time?
All you advocates of sales taxes for general revenue take note: There is ALWAYS a point at which the black market takes an interest. Sales taxes are limited by the nature of a particular commodity (it's harder to dodge a tax on cars than it is on something smaller).
That really hurts smokers, who are overwhelmingly among the less well off.
If they're smart, they will set up groups of people to pool money and go across the border to Nevada. That's what I'd do if I were a smoker. With the volume some people smoke, it would pay off pretty quick.
D
But I would cut a health care program because it is full of waste, mismanagement and because the state has a budget that is overextended by 30%.
I attended school with his little brother, Christian Peace. He erupted from time to time as well. Must be a family trait.
The reason you haven't had a response is because the answer is no. And Gray Davis ended his own career.
The author of deregulation (AB1890)was (R) Jim Brulte and it was the brain child of (R) Gov. Pete Wilson.
Click on the link to the bill and see where Brulte's name is VS where Peace's name is.
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