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Bustamante may seem an opportunist to foes, but backers say he's a pragmatist who has grown along with his responsibilities.
Jump to full article: Los Angeles Times, 2003-09-07
Author: Jenifer Warren and Dan Morain, Times Staff Writers
Intro: Bustamante has also morphed with regard to the tobacco industry. Initially, he accepted money from tobacco giant Philip Morris and from the Tobacco Institute. Opponents suggested that the donations were linked to Bustamante's vote against a landmark ban on smoking in indoor workplaces.
But as speaker, he carried legislation that, in his words, "forced" then-Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren to join other states in suing the tobacco industry over the medical costs associated with smoking. And once he was elected lieutenant governor, Bustamante said, he made a "conscious decision ... to never take tobacco money again."
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