Back in Politics, Huffington Backs Cigarette Tax

Mike Huffington, last seen walking into the political sunset after spending $29 million of his own money in an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate, resurfaced Wednesday in Orange County as co-chair of a statewide initiative to add 50 cents to the per-pack tax on cigarettes.

In a pairing of political odd fellows, the Republican Huffington is pitching an initiative that is the brainchild of Hollywood producer/director Rob Reiner, a Democrat and liberal. Reiner’s initiative would raise $700 million for early childhood development programs statewide, while hopefully cutting smoking.

The campaign is close to getting the 700,000 voter signatures it needs to be on the November ballot, Reiner told about 200 people at two appearances he made with Huffington in Irvine.

Huffington, who set a new standard for personal spending in California politics in his 1994 Senate campaign, signed on as co-chair two weeks ago. He plans to donate $150,000 to the drive. His role will be to woo Republicans and Republican politicians to the tax-hike plan.

“I wanted to make this a bipartisan initiative,” said Huffington, who acknowledged that the proposal faces hurdles with hard-core anti-tax voters among Republicans.

“We don’t need all those guys,” he said. “We just need a majority.”

Huffington’s appearances on behalf of the initiative campaign have fed speculation that he wants to run for office again and could use the initiative’s public platform to burnish his image with the electorate.

“He needs some kind of rehabilitation, and this might help,” said Richie Ross, a consultant who works with Democrats.

Huffington said he would be open to a future run for office in California when his children--ages 6 and 8--are older, but likely would not consider a legislative office. The former one-term congressman from Santa Barbara said that he has been approached about running for office this year--including lieutenant governor and for Congress--but turned down the proposals.

He deflected questions about possible political gain from being associated with the initiative campaign. “Anti-smoking and child development are issues that I have always cared deeply about, and they will always be on my agenda,” he said.

Reiner made much of Huffington’s Republican credentials. “I want to thank Mike Huffington for giving me legitimacy. . . . I am proud to have a Republican friend,” he told a morning gathering of health- and child-care professionals at United Way.

Most of those present applauded the plan, which would direct money to childhood education, parenting, health care and other programs targeting children from the prenatal stage through age 5.

Reiner and Tom Uram, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, said that if the initiative passes it would bring in $700 million a year, which would be directly funneled to counties. The money would be distributed by a local commission appointed by county supervisors.

Orange County would receive at least $50 million, which would be doubled through matching funds from the federal government, Uram and Reiner said.

“This is an outstanding idea,” said Uram, who said the county currently spends about $15 million on the programs covered by the initiative.

But the plan drew several sharp questions during the lunch, with one person asking if it was a classic ploy to create a program--one that would have to be maintained if cigarette use declined. Another suggested it was the tyranny of the majority to tax an unpopular vice like cigarettes.