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Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Expenditures of Tobacco Interests in California (PDF) 

The key highlight for lobbying expenditures is that Philip Morris USA Inc. greatly increased its quarterly lobbying spending to lobby the health care reform bill (ABX1-1) authored by Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-46). Part of the financing for the health care reform plan would have been a $1.75 tobacco tax increase. During the fourth quarter of 2007, when the bill was introduced and passed by the Assembly, Philip Morris USA Inc. spent more than $340,000 on lobbying expenditures, which is $150,000 more than they have spent in any other quarter on lobbying expenditures this decade. The only bill listed on their lobbying disclosure report for the fourth quarter was the health care reform bill.

In addition to lobbying expenditures, tobacco interests contributed nearly $600,000 to campaigns in 2007. A little more than half of this total was contributions to political committees, while roughly $275,000 was contributions to legislators, constitutional officers and candidates. Tobacco interests made contributions to forty-four percent of the Members of the Legislature (37 Assembly Members and 16 Senators) and to five candidates who are running for legislative office. The amount of contributions and number of Members and candidates that have accepted contributions is nearly identical to the figures after one year of the 2005-2006 election cycle. This indicates that tobacco interests are continuing to maintain a strong financial presence in the Capitol through contributions to Members and future Members of the Legislature.

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