TOBACCO: Reiner Appointed to Prop. 10 Commission, State to See More Settlement Funds
Actor and director Rob Reiner, who led the campaign to pass Proposition 10, has been appointed by Gov. Gray Davis to head the California Children and Families First Commission, created by the initiative. "For the first time in this state's history, California now has a real opportunity to ensure that our youngest citizens will get a healthy start in life and enter school ready to learn," Reiner said ( Sacramento Bee/Capitol Alert, 3/11). The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids released a statement saying it is "strongly" supportive of Reiner's appointment.
Mo Money
In related news, the state stands to receive an additional $444 million from the states' tobacco settlement, the Los Angeles Times reports. Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire (D), chief negotiator of the settlement, said the additional money is from an $8.6 billion Strategic Contribution fund, which was created "as an extra award for those states that played a lead role" in the negotiations (3/11).