With Mayor Singh-Allen's support for Big Tobacco, will Elk Grove pass on seeking youth tobacco prevention grant?
Readers may recall that Mayor Singh-Allen has, on at least two occasions known to the public, accepted campaign cash from Big Tobacco.
Last week, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her city councilmen's least favorite statewide officeholder announced a program to discourage California youth from using tobacco products. That announcement came from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The Monday, April 21 announcement started by stating, "Funding helps combat the illegal sale of tobacco products to youth." [their emphasis]
Mr. Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice (DOJ) is now accepting proposals for the 2025-2026 Tobacco Grant Program. The $28.5 million in grant funding is available to eligible local agencies, including municipalities like Elk Grove, "to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to our youth."
"At the California Department of Justice, we are committed to protecting our youth from the dangers posed by tobacco products. The reality is that, especially in recent years, companies have been aggressively going after our young people and attempting to turn as many of them as possible into regular customers," Bonta said in last week's announcement. "I encourage local agencies to apply to the Tobacco Grant Program — it is a critical tool that allows us to collaborate and hold accountable those companies and individuals who violate our laws around tobacco products."
Typically, municipalities like Elk Grove would seek this grant. After all, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen consistently emphasizes the importance of having a healthy and diverse community. But how honest is she? In this matter, she is not being honest at all.
Readers may recall that Mayor Singh-Allen has, on at least two occasions known to the public, accepted campaign cash from Big Tobacco. In September, Singh-Allen accepted $2,500 from R.J. Reynolds, and in November, she received $2,000 from Philip Morris( Altria).
During last year's mayoral race, Singh-Allen's opponent, Lynn Wheat, a registered nurse, urged her to either return the cash or donate it to youth tobacco aversion programs. Singh-Allen never responded to Ms Wheat's suggestion (see videos below), and there is no evidence she returned or turned the $4,500 to youth anti-smoking programs.
Given that the mayor's day job is lobbying for gas stations and convenience stores that profit from tobacco sales - legal or not - it is likely she will continue to accept Big Tobacco money as she pursues higher office. Will Elk Grove pursue the grant offered by the attorney general?
If the mayor has her way, the city will skip participating in the grant process unless one of her four city council members intervenes, which is unlikely given their deference to Mayor Singh-Allen. After all, the last thing Big Tobacco wants is for youth to be informed about the health dangers of their products, and Singh-Allen will do anything they tell her to do.
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Just in case the city is unaware, last week's announcement said, "Information on the application process is available at oag.ca.gov/tobaccogrants. DOJ will also hold a Zoom webinar on Wednesday, April 30 at 10:00 AM PT to provide guidance to those interested in applying for the Tobacco Grant Program. To RSVP for the webinar, please click here."
