This article originally appeared in the January-February 2000 issue of the Children's Advocate newsmagazine, published by Action Alliance for Children.

PROPOSITION 28: Repeal of Additional Tobacco Surtax Enacted by Prop 10

Prepared by Laura Benedict

IMPORTANT: To keep Prop. 10, vote "no" on Prop. 28. To abolish Prop. 10, vote "yes" on Prop. 28.

Prop. 28 would repeal Prop. 10, the Children and Families First Act. Prop. 10, approved by voters in November 1998, put a 50-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund new early childhood development programs. It created 58 county commissions and a state commission to make decisions about spending the money.

Arguments for

• Prop. 10 has created a potentially wasteful bureaucracy -- the new state and county commissions.
• Very little Prop. 10 money has yet been spent on children's programs.
• The community-based programs funded by Prop. 10 will attempt to replace parents with government bureaucracies and "socialized child care."
• Prop. 10 discriminates against smokers, who are a minority group.

Arguments Against

• Prop. 28 would slash $680 million from programs that benefit children
• The reason that very little money has reached children's programs so far is that Prop. 10 requires counties to develop a unified strategic plan and to include the community in planning. This process is valuable in developing comprehensive child development services
• Most young children are already in child care at least part of the week. Prop. 10 funds are needed to improve child care quality and make quality care affordable for low-income families.
• Prop. 10 funds provide crititcal support for children's health care. Currently almost one fifth of California's children lack health insurance.
• The Prop. 10 tax on cigarettes has already been proven to reduce smoking. Since it passed, tobacco sales in California have dropped by 30 percent.

Supporters: Ned Roscoe, president, Cigarettes Cheaper, c/o Thomas W. Hiltachk. For campaign information, call (800) CHEAPER.

Opponents: American Cancer Society, California Medical Association, California Nurses Association, California School Boards Association, Child Care Resource and Referral Network. For campaign information, call No on Prop. 28 at (310) 247-7422.

Prop. 10 so far. . .

County Prop. 10 plans must be complete by July 2000, but some counties have already completed theirs.

The Process: County Children and Families commissions are basing their plans on:

• Research, including expert studies, successful programs and practices, county statistics.
• Community input, including surveys of parents and service providers, public hearings, focus groups, and meetings in multiple languages.

The Programs: According to plans already completed, programs to be funded by county Prop. 10 commissions include:

• Parenting programs, such as hospital orientation and home visits for new parents, parent support and education programs, programs to involve fathers, and child safety programs addressing parental substance abuse, domestic violence, and environmental dangers.
• Child care programs, such as retention and recruitment programs for child care workers, grants for improvement of child care quality, and child care subsidies for low-income families.
• Health and wellness programs, such as health service vans to reach isolated communities, parent education on topics like nutrition and breastfeeding, and integration of mental health services with community health services.
• Integration of services through improved information-sharing and coordination, as well as financial incentives for collaboration and resource-sharing.