http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/us/california-today-proposition-56-cigarette-tax.html 2016-09-30 14:49:36 California Today: $2 More for a Pack of Cigarettes? Friday: The debate over raising the tobacco tax, Yosemite’s superintendent steps down, and a Piglet sculpture divides Sacramento. === Good morning. Welcome to California Today, a Tell us about the Want to receive California Today by email? Raise taxes. Lower the number of smokers. That’s the idea at the heart of a November ballot initiative that supporters say could save thousands of lives from tobacco-related health issues. A “yes” vote on It would be the first tax increase on cigarettes in California since 1998. “This is a long overdue hike,” said Tom Steyer, a philanthropist and leader of the Raising cigarette prices has proved to reduce smoking, California’s taxation of cigarettes has lagged behind most states. In Texas, the tax has been $1.41 a pack since 2007. New York charges $4.35, the highest amount in the country. Critics have portrayed such taxes as another example of state overreach and say such efforts unfairly target low-income smokers. But the central argument against the California measure has focused more on where the additional money will go. “It’s really a tax hike grab by insurance companies, hospital corporations and other wealthy special interests,” said Beth Miller, a spokeswoman for the “ Supporters say the goal is to cut smoking, but the measure would also help to shore up health care funding. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the tax increase would generate more than $1 billion, most of it allocated to Multiple attempts to raise California’s cigarette tax at the ballot box and in the Legislature have failed over the years. As with S California already has the nation’s second-lowest per capita smoking rate, with only If the initiative passes, Professor Glantz said, “I think that we will end up with smoking that is so low that the behavior will simply collapse.” See reporting in The New York Times on other Nov. 8 ballot initiatives: And dig into analyses of all 17 statewide measures by the • Many • The authorities tried to deport • After trending down for years, • The superintendent of • Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that requires restrooms for single users to be • He also signed legislation creating stricter rules for when the police can • A disbarred lawyer • For the first time in decades, private ferry boats will ply San Francisco Bay, offering • • California’s The Giants put And this week, the Sacramento Kings The choice has been a contentious one. After the plan to acquire the sculpture But the Kings organization and its owners, who put up most of the money, have stood by it. Vivek Ranadivé, the team’s majority owner, The 18-foot sculpture called “Coloring Book” was intended to evoke the Piglet character from the A. A. Milne books, with bright colors as if drawn by a child. On Monday, during the unveiling ceremony near the main entrance to the arena, called Golden 1 Center, Mr. Koons “You have a sense of transcendence, how you can become more,” he said. Sacramento is not the only team dabbling in high-end art. Daniel McDermon, a culture editor for The Times, Outside the arena on Thursday, passers-by gave some initial reviews. “I know I can’t draw a straight line, but I could do that,” said James Lincoln, a Kings fan. Standing nearby, Naborn Ward, also a Kings fan, said the team shouldn’t have spent more than a few thousand dollars for the artwork. Asked what would make a better statue, he said, “I would have done something with sports — a sports hero, something, anything, you know — not Piglet.” California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian — born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Davis. California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and attended U.C. Berkeley.