Los Angeles, CA – Twenty-Five years ago today, Bill Bloomfield and his father, took on the powerful Tobacco industry by erecting a billboard on Santa Monica Boulevard that makes people aware of the dangers of smoking by electronically counting nearly one smoking death a minute.
According to the Surgeon General, smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, and according to the American Lung Association, smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States causing over 393,000 deaths each year.
Erecting the billboard was a good start, but Bill knew there was more he could do. So in 2005, he played a key role in helping to pass an initiative in Washington State that enacted the then toughest second hand smoke legislation in the country. Bill says:
“If I can prevent one person from picking up their first cigarette, inspire one person to quit, or prevent one child from breathing in harmful second hand smoke, then helping pass tough legislation and keeping our billboard up for twenty-five years was and is worth it.”
This year Bill Bloomfield is the independent candidate running for Congress against 37-year incumbent Henry Waxman in the newly drawn 33rd District. For more information about how one person has stood up to special interests to make a difference visit www.BloomfieldforCongress.com.