Is Your CA Legislator Taking Big Tobacco's Money?

(crossposted at Calitics)

Over 40,000 Californians die every year from tobacco smoking, nearly one-fifth of all of the deaths that occur in the state.  That's 17 times the California's 2,500 annual homicides and ten times the 4,100 Californians who will die of breast cancer this year.  Despite decreases in smoking rates, tobacco use remains the state's leading public health emergency.

What, therefore, can you say about an elected official who takes campaign contributions from the industry that needs, for its survival, that that public health emergency continue unabated and thus needs a favorable regulatory climate in Sacramento?

A new report from the American Lung Association of California details the bribes donations that Big Tobacco gave to legislators and candidates during 2005-6.

Big Tobacco gave $130,700 to 2005-6 Senators, $24,900 (19.1%) to Democrats and 105,800 (81.9%) to Republicans.

Big Tobacco gave $366,823 to 2005-6 Assemblymembers, $75,200 (20.5%) to Democrats, and $291,623 (79.5%) to Republicans.

Big Tobacco gave $98,500 to incoming 07-08 freshmen legislators, $50,100 (50.9%) to Democrats and $48,400 (49.1%) to Republicans.

Big Tobacco spent $2,160,864 on lobbying during the 2005-6 Term.  Philip Morris spent $884,694, RJ Reynolds spent $598,507, US Smokeless Tobacco spent $391,137, Lorillard spent $187,202, and the California Distributors Association spent $99,324.  

You can look at the report for the details, but I have compiled the data into lists sorted by party and whether the legislator or candidate took Big Tobacco money during 2005-6.  Please contact your legislator to let them know that you either appreciate that they did not take Big Tobacco's money or to urge them to cease doing so.

Senate Democrats who took no Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Alarcon, Richard (no longer in Senate)
Alquist, Elaine
Bowen, Debra (no longer in Senate)
Cedillo, Gilbert
Chesbro, Wesley (no longer in Senate)
Corbett, Ellen (new in 07-08)
Dunn, Joseph (no longer in Senate)
Escutia, Martha (no longer in Senate)
Figueroa, Liz (no longer in Senate)
Kehoe, Christine
Kuehl, Sheila
Lowenthal, Alan
Ortiz, Deborah (no longer in Senate)
Padilla, Alex (new in 07-08)
Perata, Don
Romero, Gloria
Scott, Jack
Simitian, Joe
Soto, Nell (no longer in Senate)
Speier, Jackie (no longer in Senate)
Steinberg, Darrell (new in 07-08)
Torlakson, Tom
Wiggins, Patricia (new in 07-08)

Senate Republicans who took no Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

NONE

Senate Democrats who took Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Correa, Lou ($4,300) - new in 07-08
Ducheny, Denise Moreno ($4,300)
Florez, Dean ($8,600)
Machado, Michael ($1,000)
Migden, Carole ($4,300)
Murray, Kevin ($3,400) (no longer in senate)
Vincent, Edward ($3,300)

Senate Republicans who took Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Aanestad, Sam ($6,600)
Ackerman, Richard ($9,300)
Ashburn, Roy ($7,050)
Battin, Jim ($8,300)
Cox, Dave ($8,600)
Denham, Jeffrey ($4,300)
Dutton, Robert ($9,100)
Harman, Tom ($9,600)
Hollingsworth, Dennis ($5,300)
Maldonado, Abel ($3,300)
Margett, Bob ($3,300)
McClintock, Tom ($11,550)
Morrow, Bill ($2,600) (no longer in Senate)
Poochigian, Charles ($8,100) (no longer in Senate)
Runner, George ($8,800)

Assembly Democrats who took no Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Arambula, Juan
Bass, Karen
Beall Jr., Jim (new in 07-08)
Berg, Patty
Bermúdez, Rudy (no longer in Assembly)
Brownley, Julia (new in 07-08)
Chan, Wilma (no longer in Assembly)
Chavez, Ed (no longer in Assembly)
Chu, Judy (no longer in Assembly)
De La Torre, Hector
de Leon, Kevin (new in 07-08)
DeSaulnier, Mark (new in 07-08)
Dymally, Mervyn
Eng, Mike (new in 07-08)
Evans, Noreen
Feuer, Mike (new in 07-08)
Frommer, Dario (no longer in Assembly)
Goldberg, Jackie (no longer in Assembly)
Hancock, Loni
Hayashi, Mary (new in 07-08)
Hernandez, Edward (new in 07-08)
Huffman, Jared (new in 07-08)
Jones, Dave
Karnette, Betty
Klehs, Johan (no longer in Assembly)
Koretz, Paul (no longer in Assembly)
Krekorian, Paul (new in 07-08)
Laird, John
Leno, Mark
Levine, Lloyd
Lieber, Sally
Lieu, Ted
Liu, Carol (no longer in Assembly)
Matthews, Barbara (no longer in Assembly)
Montañez, Cindy (no longer in Assembly)
Mullin, Gene
Nation, Joe (no longer in Assembly)
Nava, Pedro
Oropeza, Jenny (no longer in Assembly)
Pavley, Fran (no longer in Assembly)
Portantino, Anthony (new in 07-08)
Ridley-Thomas, Mark (no longer in Assembly)
Ruskin, Ira
Saldaña, Lori
Salinas, Simon
Salas, Mary (new in 07-08)
Solorio, Jose (new in 07-08)
Vargas, Juan
Wolk, Lois

Assembly Republicans who took no Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Nakanishi, Alan
Richman, Keith (no longer in Assembly)

Assembly Democrats who took Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Baca Jr., Joe ($8,700) (no longer in Assembly)
Caballero, Anna ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Calderon, Charles ($14,400) - new in 07-08
Calderon, Ronald ($15,100) (no longer in Assembly)
Canciamilla, Joseph ($3,300) (no longer in Assembly)
Carter, Wilmer ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Cohn, Rebecca ($500) (no longer in Assembly)
Coto, Joe ($6,600)
Davis, Mike ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Galgiani, Cathleen ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Horton, Jerome ($10,900) (no longer in Assembly)
Karnette, Betty ($1,000)
Ma, Fiona ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Mendoza, Tony ($1,000) - new in 07-08
Negrete McLeod, Gloria ($8,600)
Núñez, Fabian ($3,300)
Parra, Nicole ($7,600)
Price, Curren ($6,300) - new in 07-08
Richardson, Laura ($3,300) - new in 07-08 (on her way to Congress)
Swanson, Sandre ($4,300) - new in 07-08
Torrico, Alberto ($2,000)
Umberg, Tom ($3,300) (no longer in Assembly)
Yee, Leland ($4,300) (no longer in Assembly)

Assembly Republicans who took Big Tobacco money during 2005-6:

Adams, Anthony ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Anderson, Joel ($5,300) - new in 07-08
Aghazarian, Greg ($9,100)
Benoit, John ($11,600)
Berryhill, Tom ($6,600) - new in 07-08
Blakeslee, Sam ($6,600)
Bogh, Russ ($13,118) (no longer in Assembly)
Cogdill, David ($14,800) (no longer in Assembly)
Cook, Paul ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Daucher, Lynn ($7,700) (no longer in Assembly)
DeVore, Chuck ($8,900)
Duvall, Michael ($4,300) - new in 07-08
Emmerson, Bill ($8,100)
Fuller, Jean ($4,300) - new in 07-08
Garcia, Bonnie ($17,028)
Gaines, Ted ($4,800) - new in 07-08
Garrick, Martin ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Haynes, Ray ($5,300) (no longer in Assembly)
Horton, Shirley ($11,350)
Houston, Guy ($12,600)
Huff, Bob ($7,600)
Jeffries, Kevin ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Keene, Rick ($12,850)
La Malfa, Doug ($13,350)
La Suer, Jay ($3,300) (no longer in Assembly)
Leslie, Tim ($1,500) (no longer in Assembly)
Maze, Bill ($8,100)
McCarthy, Kevin ($9,778) (no longer in Assembly)
Mountjoy, Dennis ($5,800) (no longer in Assembly)
Niello, Roger ($5,300)
Plescia, George ($20,699)
Runner, Sharon ($9,800)
Silva, Jim ($3,300) - new in 07-08
Smyth, Cameron ($6,600) - new in 07-08
Spitzer, Todd ($10,100)
Strickland, Audra ($14,350)
Tran, Van ($7,600)
Villines, Mike ($13,600)
Walters, Mimi ($8,600)
Wyland, Mark ($13,100) (no longer in Assembly)

•  Tip Jar (n/t)

  by ortcutt on Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 05:47:05 PM PDT

•  Good job!

  Glad to see my guys took no dirty money from tobacco cos.

  by foxfire burns on Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 06:16:04 PM PDT

•  So Basically Big Tobacco Contributes....

  .....to the same politicians who it shares a codified profit-sharing agreement and protection racket with?  And this is news?

  by Mark27 on Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 06:41:40 PM PDT