Pubdate: Tue, 24 Apr 2001
Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2001 The Modesto Bee
Contact:  http://www.modbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/271
Author: Jim Miller

PANEL PULLS FUNDS FROM METH BATTLE

SACRAMENTO -- What remained of money for Gov. Davis' "war on 
methamphetamine" in the Central Valley disappeared Monday from the Senate 
version of the budget bill.

A Senate subcommittee took out $15 million of anti-methamphetamine money 
from the spending proposal. That is in addition to $25 million the full 
Senate budget committee removed in early March.

The money joins hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed budget 
allocations that lawmakers, mainly in the Senate, have pulled from the 
2001-02 budget proposal in recent weeks. Their final status will be decided 
next month, when 2000 tax revenue totals will be announced and Davis 
presents his budget revision.

Already, however, some lawmakers are predicting that a slowing economy and 
the energy crisis have dimmed the state's once-rosy financial picture.

"I agree that methamphetamine is a serious problem. But we have a serious 
fiscal problem, too," Sen. Byron Sher, D-Stanford, said Monday. Sher is 
chairman of the budget subcommittee on legislative, public safety, 
executive and general government.

Davis included the $40 million in his January budget proposal after valley 
legislators and law enforcement officials lobbied for it. Under his plan, 
$25 million would be spent for equipment and other one-time expenses, and 
$15 million would be for ongoing anti-meth efforts.

Davis officials have said most of the money would be spent in a nine-county 
region that includes Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties.

"This is not the standard war on drug program. The mere manufacturing of 
methamphetamine is a serious public health risk. Existing efforts are just 
not successful," said Allen Sawyer, chief deputy director of the Governor's 
Office of Criminal Justice Planning.

Some question the proposal, however. The legislative analyst's office, in 
February and again on Monday, said the allocation wasn't specific enough 
and, in any case, there already are millions of dollars available to fight 
methamphetamine and for local law enforcement.

"This one feels a lot like overkill," Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, 
said. "Everyone wants an (anti-methamphetamine) program. Everyone wants to 
close up the same number of labs."

Sen. Bruce McPherson, R-Santa Cruz, wanted to keep the full $40 million in 
the budget. But he was outvoted by Sher and Kuehl.

"The Senate has been a little more difficult to get this through," Sawyer 
said after the subcommittee action.

The Assembly budget committee has not discussed the methamphetamine 
appropriation. Today, the Assembly Public Safety Committee is scheduled to 
consider Assembly Bill 565, anti-meth legislation by Assemblyman Dennis 
Cardoza, D-Merced, that would detail how to spend the $40 million. 
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom