Spending Plan for Tobacco Money Opposed

Local groups plan to forge ahead with efforts to place a county initiative on the November ballot requiring that tobacco settlement money be spent on health care, state Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana) said Monday.

“We will be putting it together very quickly and getting it on the ballot as quickly as possible,” he said.

The announcement from Dunn, who has been the key figure in negotiations between the county and health care advocates over how to spend the tobacco cash, signals a willingness on the part of the medical community to take on the supervisors.

The Orange County Medical Assn. is lobbying other health care advocates to join the effort, which must get started soon if it is to meet electoral deadlines for gathering signatures.

However, Dr. Brennan Cassidy, president of the Orange County Medical Assn., said his group does not want to stand alone in a campaign that could cost at least $250,000.

“We can’t say it is a go until we know we have the support,” he said. “It will take a week or two to assess the situation.”

Health care advocates and physicians oppose supervisors’ plans to spend the vast majority of Orange County’s $900-million share on jails and debt retirement.

“The principle involved here is very important,” said Sam Roth, spokesman for the local medical association.

Supervisors could not be reached for comment.

Backers said it could cost about $150,000 to get the measure on the November ballot. They said they would have to hire a consulting firm to gather 71,206 valid signatures by May.