VENTURA : Smoking Petitions Have Some Fuming

Austin Oakwood’s pitch for signatures on a Phillip Morris-sponsored smoking petition outside a Ventura grocery store Thursday was decidedly low-key: “Would you like to make it more difficult for minors to get cigarettes from vending machines?” he asked a visitor who inquired about the ballot petition.

Oakwood also said the proposed statewide ballot initiative asks voters to give the state authority over smoking, including banning smoking in some public places, instead of local government.

Oakwood was telling the truth: An explanation of what the smoking initiative would do includes those qualifications. But it’s what he didn’t say that has officials from the local chapter of the American Lung Assn. fuming.

They say they are receiving complaints that petition gatherers such as Oakwood are being deceptive by not telling voters that the petition drive is sponsored by tobacco giant Phillip Morris.

To draw attention to their ire, two spokeswomen from the American Lung Assn. notified several newspaper and radio reporters Thursday, and then confronted Oakwood face to face with their complaints.

“The problem is that this initiative (would put) decisions about smoking into the hands of the state Legislature instead of local governments,” said Barbara Weinberg, associate director of the Ventura County chapter of the American Lung Assn.

“And it doesn’t say Phillip Morris anywhere and that is what is deceptive to the voter.”

Oakwood, looking slightly bemused about suddenly being surrounded by seven reporters and photographers, claimed ignorance of Phillip Morris’ backing of the petition.

“Hey, I’m just a volunteer,” he said. “This petition has been immensely popular with smokers and nonsmokers alike.”

Oakwood, 33, of Santa Paula, said he supports Phillip Morris’ attempt to wrest control over where and how tobacco can be used from local politicians to the state.

“All this petition does is get the initiative on the ballot,” Oakwood said. “People can decide . . . whether they want to support it.”

At times, the debate between Oakwood and Weinberg seemed almost moot. At least two-thirds of the people who stopped at Oakwood’s small table were more interested in a petition that would make illegal immigrants ineligible for public services than in the proposed smoking initiative.

Walter Graf, 73, waded through the thicket of reporters surrounding Oakwood to find a petition relating to the illegal-immigrant issue.

“I don’t care about smoking,” he said. “But illegal immigration is affecting my life.”

Lynn Kretschmer, however, stood near Oakwood’s table for at least 10 minutes to give her opinion on why smoking should be banned completely.

“This petition is really to promote smoking,” she said. “We have a ban on smoking in certain public places in Ventura, and we don’t need this.”