EDITORIAL UP IN SMOKE THEY SHOULD PUT WARNING LABELS ON POLITICAL PROMISES.

WARNING: Conniving politicians, lethargic bureaucrats and ballot initiatives backed by celebrity activists can be harmful to the public's health.

That's the warning label that should have been smacked on Proposition 10, a 1998 ballot initiative that made some great promises but three years later has delivered on few of them.

Pitched by actor-director Rob Reiner, Prop. 10 sounded like a good idea: Discourage smoking through a 50-cent per pack tax on cigarettes and use the revenues to fund an array of childhood development and anti-smoking programs.

Of course, there was a hitch.

State and local officials have yet to get the system organized, so they've been unable to spend the money on much of anything but themselves - let alone far-reaching child health and smoking prevention programs.

Los Angeles County, for example, has collected $421 million in tobacco taxes since Prop. 10 took effect. Although it's allocated $194 million, it has only spent $34 million - even though its Proposition 10 commission has a staff of 30, nine paid commissioners and a director earning a $114,000 salary.

The good news is that smoking has declined and that some of the money the commission has spent has gone to worthwhile programs. But no matter how you feel, Prop. 10 amounted to a major tax hike, one which can only be justified by a commensurate commitment to worthwhile projects.

So far that hasn't happened.