Tobacco Lobby Spends Heavily In Calif. To Influence Legislation, Including E-Cig Rules
California has taken center stage in the industry's battle for survival against any emerging laws out of statehouses across the country.
Center for Public Integrity:
How Big Tobacco Lobbies To Safeguard E-Cigarettes
Nowhere has the tobacco fight been bigger, or more expensive, than in California, which has attracted at least two-thirds of tobacco companies’ state-level political donations since 2011. Public health advocates here say tobacco companies have used a potent combination of campaign contributions and behind-the-scenes lobbying to win enough friends in key places. The strategy is most apparent on the Assembly’s Governmental Organization Committee, which oversees an odd combination of issues, including public records, state holidays, gambling, alcohol and tobacco. (Kusnetz, 3/25)