Capitol Alert

Backers of a tobacco tax initiative responded today with a trio of ads that seek to undermine the credibility of their tobacco-funded opposition, including two ads featuring cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

The 15-second television spots began airing in Northern California markets this morning, according to the Yes on 29 campaign. The initiative would add a new $1 tax per pack of cigarettes to fund cancer and heart disease research.

Proponents are trying to respond specifically to an ad featuring San Joaquin General Hospital physician La Donna Porter, who criticized the initiative while wearing a doctor's smock in an ad that aired statewide for the past two weeks. The opposition campaign has raised nearly $40 million so far, nearly all from tobacco firms R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris USA.

A proposed resolution to commend the Boy Scouts of America on its 102nd anniversary died today in an Assembly committee because the measure did not urge the group to accept gays and lesbians.

Instead, the Assembly Judiciary Committee passed a separate resolution that applauded the Boy Scouts but said its policy against accepting homosexuals is harmful and discriminatory -- and should be reconsidered.

The measure that passed, crafted by committee Chairman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, encouraged the group to "accept for membership and leadership positions all qualified boys and men, without discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or religious beliefs."

Assemblyman Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga, wrote the resolution that died in the committee by a party-line vote, supported by Republicans. He said he simply wanted his Assembly Concurrent Resolution 94 to commend the group for its many good deeds, not to make the issue political.

"I don't think this body should impose your will upon them," Morrell told the committee.

Feuer countered that lawmakers were not imposing their will upon the Boy Scouts - and could not legally do so. But before commending an organization, the Assembly should consider all facets of it, he said.

Comparing one form of discrimination to another, Feuer said that any group that excluded potential members because of their skin color would not be popular at the Capitol.

"I don't see the difference between discrimination based on race and on sexual orientation," he said.

Feuer's Assembly Concurrent Resolution 128 passed the committee by a vote of 7-2, with Democrats supporting it.

Democratic state Sens. Joe Simitian and Noreen Evans today rolled out a proposal aimed at keeping the gates open at more than 50 California state parks set to close this summer.

The proposal, which will be heard by a Senate budget subcommittee Wednesday afternoon, includes shifting as much as $40 million from existing state accounts for road maintenance, septic system repairs and trails and off-highway vehicle funds to cover parks' costs. That money would be used for purposes consistent with the original intent of those funds, Evans and Simitian said.

Other recommendations include facilitating operating agreements with nonprofits, improving entry fee collection efforts and exploring other funding sources, such as license plates and concessions agreements. Some parks would still likely have to close, but supporters said they hoped those would be able to reopen in the future thanks to the plan.

State parks officials announced last year that 70 of the state's more than 270 parks would be targeted for closure due to budget cuts. The closures are projected to save about $22 million. The parks department has been able to form partnerships with nonprofits and local governments to keep 16 of those parks open. Richard Stapler, spokesman for Natural Resources Secretary John Laird, said officials are involved in substantive talks involving about a dozen additional parks.

Hawaii, not surprisingly, is home to more Pacific Islanders than any other state, but California isn't too far behind, a new Census Bureau statistical study has determined.

In fact, the Census Bureau says, more than half of the nation's 1.2 million native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders live in either Hawaii or California. And it's a fast-growing population, up 40.1 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Hawaii was home to 355,816 Pacific Islanders, the 2010 census found, while 286,145 lived in California, a 29.2 percent increase from 2000. The third largest concentration was in Washington state (70,322) while the smallest was in Vermont (465), although that was a 51 percent increase.

Gov. Jerry Brown said this morning that the public has a "legitimate interest" in knowing his whereabouts, but he still won't say where he vacationed while out of state over the weekend.

"I have to have a few moments of privacy," the Democratic governor told reporters after a California Highway Patrol memorial event in West Sacramento.

Asked about the public's interest in knowing his whereabouts, Brown said, "They have a legitimate interest," but he declined to say where he was.

Brown has left the state only a handful of times since taking office last year, mostly for short trips on official business. He traveled far more frequently when he was governor before, from 1975 to 1983, and running for president.

Brown said this morning, "I was on R&R," which is more than his office would say about the trip. When Brown left California on Thursday, the administration's advisory said only, "The Governor has left the state."

VIDEO: Dan Walters says some lawmakers seeking reelection are heading toward the center this year.

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VIDEO: Dan Walters, in today's video report , says lawmakers are moving to the middle.

Should California State University close one or more campuses? Should CSU consider privatizing a university?

These are just two of the questions that CSU trustees will consider today when they meet in Long Beach. The finance committee session is intended to be informational, and perhaps a bit provocative, as CSU leaders evaluate ways to confront an era of state budget cuts.

CSU officials have already offered more modest suggestions should the system face a $200 million trigger cut that Gov. Jerry Brown proposed if voters reject his tax initiative. Those include eliminating sports and athletics, delaying the purchase of library materials, downsizing administration and minimizing travel.

But trustees want to consider the gamut of long-term changes, said CSU spokeswoman Claudia Keith. Those range from phasing out less popular academic areas to charging higher rates for cost-intensive programs and seeking ways to privatize.

"Some of these are obviously more feasible than others," Keith said.

PARKS: Democratic Sens. Noreen Evans and Joe Simitian hold a conference call at 11 to unveil an idea for saving 50 state parks scheduled to close.

CHP MEMORIAL: Memorial week continues with the annual ceremony honoring fallen CHP officers. Gov. Jerry Brown will attend the 9:30 memorial at the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento.

LEGISLATURE: Both houses have a fairly heavy schedule of committee hearings today. Check out the Senate file here, and the Assembly line-up here.

CAKE AND CANDLES: Send state Treasurer Bill Lockyer a funny card for his 71st birthday today. He could use a laugh.