HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12021997 - C122 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: William Walker, M.D., Health Services Director =; , Contra
DATE: October 30, 1997 - Costa
COUllty
SUBJECT: Settlement with R.J. Reynolds related to use of Joe Camel
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the expenditure of$158,248 by the Health Services Department for the activities described on the attached.
The funding is provided by R.J. Reynolds in connection with the settlement of a lawsuit to stop the tobacco company
from using the cartoon character Joe Camel to advertise its products.
BACKGROUND:
Contra Costa County was a parry in the Mangini v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al. lawsuit. (S.F.S.C. Case No.
939359) alleging that an advertising campaign targeting minors for the purpose of inducing their illegal purchase
of cigarettes constituted an unlawful and unfair business practice. The case was settled September 8, 1997. R.J.
Reynolds agreed to remove all billboards in California containing materials from the Joe Camel campaign; cease
placement of Joe Camel materials in newspapers and magazines distributed in California; and stop retail distribution
of promotional items containing images from the Joe Camel campaign in California.
R.J. Reynolds also agreed to pay $10 million(including $1 million for legal fees) to be distributed among the parties
to the suit and other counties. Contra Costa will receive $158,248 to finance education, enforcement and/or
advertising campaigns to discourage smoking by minors.
Contact: Wendel Brunner, M.D., 313-6712
cc: County Administrator
Public Health Director
Community Wellness and Prevention Director
FISCAL IMPACT:
.The settlement provides funding to supplement tobacco tax revenue to the county from Proposition 99, the voter-
mandated cigarette tax.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: �✓G
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE _OTHER
SIGNATURE (S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON17 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
�(f I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contact Person: Wendel Brunner, M.D.
CC: Health Services Administration ATTESTED
Public Health Administration PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD O
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
A Bard of Supervisors Page 2�,
R.J. Reynolds Settlement
December 21 1997
Proposed Use of R.J. Reynolds "Joe Camel" Settlement Funds
Although there is increased funding available at the present time from Prop 99, it is restricted
to only certain activities. The Tobacco Prevention Project in the Community Wellness and
Prevention Program proposes to use the settlement funds as follows:
Developing Alternatives to PC 308b citations
Last year, the legislature enacted PC 308b, making it a crime for youth to possess tobacco. The
Tobacco Prevention Coalition is working to find alternatives to citing and fining youth -
approaches that would contribute to a long term reducing of youth smoking prevalence. This
is a complex issue, because strategies that work to encourage adults to quit smoking are not
appropriate for youth.
TPP proposes to allocate $58,000 for two years of discretionary money to fund community
efforts to address this issue and to develop an appropriate prevention/cessation model.
Educating Contra Costans about Reducing Youth Supply and Demand
At the request of the Board of Supervisors and the Conference of Mayors, the Tobacco
Prevention Project and the Tobacco Prevention Coalition are developing a comprehensive
tobacco-free youth ordinance. The ordinance will include a broad range of options and will serve
as a menu for local cities and the Board of Supervisors to choose policy options that are
appropriate for local needs. Because this is a fairly complicated issue, residents throughout the
county need to be educated about what the problems are and what solutions exist for addressing
the problems.
TPP proposes to allocate $100,248 to contract with community organizations to conduct these
activities in their local communities.