DAVIS CUTS TOO MUCH FROM DRUG TREATMENT SPENDING

GOV. Gray Davis' May revision of the budget released last week proposed
significant cuts in the area of alcohol and drug services. Several of the
items are headed for conference this week.

Last November, voters passed Proposition 36 by 61 percent. They
overwhelmingly supported treatment rather than incarceration for drug
possession offenders. The governor now proposes to cut existing substance
abuse treatment services for both adults and youth. The justification for
this action is that new Proposition 36 funds are available to pay for
treatment, but this argument ignores the fact that the language of the
proposition explicitly declares that its funds must supplement, not
supplant, existing services.

The cuts in youth treatment services seem particularly inappropriate. The
modest award we received for youth this fiscal year was a first-time award
and recently allocated to support youth programming in San Mateo County.
The funds would be removed within the first year, leaving a woefully
under-funded youth substance abuse treatment system.

Reductions in alcohol and drug abuse treatment will cost law enforcement.
The proposed budget cuts drug court in half. This cut is proposed despite
overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of drug courts. San Mateo County
was just provided with an increased treatment award for drug court, only to
now face a cut.

Proposition 36 funds were provided to treat specific individuals starting
July 1. The complications of Proposition 36 implementation will be made
worse by these cuts in other services.

Most budget cuts in the May revision are reductions in original budget
augmentations or use of reserves. The cuts in the area of alcohol and drug
services are real and deep and very disproportionate. In the last three
years, San Mateo County has significantly reduced the waiting list and
waiting time, and has increased capacity to provide substance abuse
treatment. The effective drug court program is keeping substance abusers
out of jail.

We urge that the state Department of Alcohol programs be funded at the
January level. The cuts would harm adult services, drug court, and youth
treatment in San Mateo County.

Michael D. Nevin President, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors