The San Francisco Board of Supervisors called on the state legislature to enable the individual counties to establish a local tax on tobacco products. Assembly Bill 55 (ABX2 55) is sponsored by Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman. This bill allows each county to tax cigarettes by up to 21 cents per pack, independent of state and federal excise taxes.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on the resolution January 8, 1996, to direct the city lobbyist to urge state legislators to pass this bill. Mayor Willie Brown signed the resolution which was sponsored by Supervisor Angela Alioto.

ABX2 55 is one of two regressive tobacco excise tax bills currently under consideration in the Assembly. The other bill under consideration in the Assembly is ABX2 51, which will add 17 cents to a pack of cigarettes. Revenue from that tax is earmarked to be used to bail out the bankrupt public health departments in the state.

Supervisor Angela Alioto is currently running for the State Senate seat vacated by Milton Marks. Supervisor Carol Migden will be running for Mayor Willie Browns vacated Assembly seat, in light of his recent election victory as Mayor of San Francisco. There will be six seats up for election on the Board of Supervisors this year.

Enoch Ludlow of FORCES (Fight Ordinances & Restrictions to Control & Eliminate Smoking) expressed amusement that the Board of Supervisors, which describes itself as progressive, is fighting so hard to establish such a regressive tax. "To allocate scarce city resources to lobby against a quarter of the cities population, is a clear example of the bizarre set of priorities that this Board has embraced," Ludlow stated.