The tobacco industry remains a powerful force in California politics through lobbying, campaign contributions, public relations, and litigation tactics.The tobacco industry spent 4.6milliononstatelevelpoliticalactivityinCaliforniaduringthe1999−2000electioncycle,including2,234,707 on campaign contributions and 2,427,907milliononlobbying.Thisisanincreasedofabout6300,000) compared to the previous election cycle.Tobacco industry campaign contributions to legislators and legislative candidates, state constitutional officers, political parties, and party controlled committees totaled 1,470,611,a173848,635 in 1997-1998, and about the same as the 1,519,624in1995−1996,1,489,904 in 1993-1994.The tobacco industry continues to favor Republicans over Democrats in making campaign contributions, although the gap is narrowing. In 1999-2000, 58% of campaign contributions went to Republican candidates and committees, down from 81% in 1997-1998.The largest recipients of tobacco industry campaign contributions in 1999-2000 were Assembly member Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) 90,000;andSenatorRossJohnson(R−Irvine)83,000.The tobacco industry continues to make more campaign contributions to members of the California Legislature than to members of Congress (10,376permemberoftheCaliforniaLegislaturecomparedto4,486 per member of Congress). The top recipient of tobacco industry campaign contributions in Congress, Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), received 34,500,comparedtothe90,000 the top Californian recipient received.Of the 120 members of the Legislature, 33 members accepted no campaign contributions from the tobacco industry (31 Democrats, 1 Republican, and 1 Independent); in 1997-1998, 28 members accepted no campaign contributions from the tobacco industry.The tobacco industry spent 2,592,907onlobbyingexpendituresinthe1999−2000legislativecycle,almostonemillionlessthanitspentinthe1997−1998cycle.DespiteinitialoptimismthattheDavisAdministrationwouldreversetherelentlesseffortsbyPeteWilson’sAdministrationtoundermineandweakentobaccocontrolefforts,theDavisAdministrationhasopposedsubstantialincreasesinfundingfortobaccocontrol.Afterpoliticalpressurefromorganizedhealthgroups,DavisdidreversetheWilson−erapolicyforbiddingmediaattacksonthetobaccoindustry.However,DaviswasslowtochangethecumbersomeapprovalprocessthatWilsonputinplacetostifletheprogram.Thissituationwasaggravatedbythesluggishnessinappointingnewstaffmemberstohisadministration.Twohealthgroups–theAmericanHeartAssociationandAmericansforNonsmokers’rRights–havechallengedGovernorDavistoreducesmokingprevalenceinCaliforniato1020 million on a youth anti-smoking program. This is well below the 105million(20500 million in tobacco settlement funds had allocated any funds for tobacco control efforts. The combined spending of the thirteen counties that did spend funds on tobacco control was about 16.8million.OnAugust21,2000,abilltopassfire−safecigarettelegislationwaskilledintheAssemblyCommitteeonGovernmentalOrganization,whichhastraditionallybeenrecognizedtobesympathetictotobaccoindustrypositions.Proposition37,whichwouldhaveoverturnedthecourtdecisionofSinclairPaintvs.StateBoardofEqualizationthatfoundthatmitigationfeesforpollutingorcontaminatedproducts(suchasthetobaccoindustry’sproducts)wasdefeatedinNovember2000.PhilipMorriswasthetopcontributortoYeson37campaigntooverturntheSinclairdecision,contributing350,000; with the entire tobacco industry contributing 668,000outofthe2,555,620 spent on the Yes on 37 campaign.Master Settlement Agreement enforcement by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s office resulted in an agreement in 1999 by the R. J. Reynolds Company to restrict the display of advertising and promotional items at booths at auto racing events. In 2000, United States Tobacco agreed not to distribute tobacco coupons in any free newspaper in any university in California. Also in 2000, R.J. Reynolds agreed to mail cigarette samples only to adults and only after they had given prior consent.While some progress has been made on reversing the setbacks for tobacco control during the Wilson era, particularly because the voters have continued to support increased tobacco taxes, California has not regained the position of world leadership on tobacco control it held in the early 1990s. The program is stalled and adrift. As a result, thousands of people are dying and will die unnecessarily