Opinion: Raise Tobacco Tax To Aid Health Care, Close Deficit

Using a higher tobacco tax to partially close California's $15.7 billion budget deficit "should be a no-brainer," columnist George Skelton writes in a Los Angeles Times column. According to Skelton, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and the Legislature should "collect some courage and character" and raise the tax. Besides addressing the state's deficit, the move also could "rescue some old [spending programs], especially health care for the poor through Medi-Cal."

• "Higher Tobacco Tax? It's Still a No-Brainer" (Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 6/7).