LATINO GROUPS PUSH GOV TO EASE STIFF DRUG LAWS

At a time when Gov. Pataki is openly wooing Latino voters, advocates for
repeal of the tough Rockefeller drug laws are hitting the Spanish-language
media with strongly worded ads pressuring the governor to back their cause.

The Campaign for Effective Criminal Justice is a coalition of groups that
want judges to have more discretion to put drug offenders in treatment
rather than jail. They said the radio, television and print ads will be
"demanding that [Pataki] keep his promise of meaningful reform of these
laws."

Though Pataki has drafted legislation to revise the drug laws, the advocates
said his proposal does not go as far as a competing measure offered by
Assembly Democrats in keeping nonviolent drug felons out of prison.

"They know it will take more than political rhetoric and symbolic attempts
at reform to bring their family members home - and they are very
disappointed with Gov. Pataki's most recent proposal," said Felix Lopez of
the Legal Action Center.

The ads say: "Gov. Pataki, the time to fulfill your promise of dramatic
Rockefeller drug law reform is now. Latino families are watching. No
justice, no votes."

Attempting to make his proposal more palatable to Assembly Democrats, Pataki
recently revised a proposal to scale back the Rockefeller laws.

The new plan calls for providing second-time offenders charged with drug
dealing a chance at reduced sentences through treatment. The first proposal
had covered only offenders charged with drug possession.

Pataki spokesman Michael McKeon called the package "smart and balanced,"
arguing that Pataki has made the call for reform a priority since
highlighting it in his State of the State speech in January.

The idea to aim the ads directly at Hispanics was "a natural," said John
Dunne, a former Republican state senator who backed the Rockefeller statutes
in the 1970s and now is part of the effort to overturn those measures.
According to the coalition, Latinos account for 48.3% of those imprisoned in
New York for drug offenses.

Pataki "has been the strongest voice for reform, but we think he hasn't gone
far enough," Dunne said.

The ads will run on Univision and on radio stations WPAT (Amor 93.1) and
WSKG (Mega 97.9), and print ads will appear in El Diario. A coalition
spokesman said the initial ads will cost a total of about $30,000.