BATTLE OVER DRUG TREATMENT INITIATIVE HEATS UP

SACRAMENTO -- The political war over a ballot measure about the war on
drugs is escalating.

The powerful prison guards' union has come out strongly against a drug
treatment initiative before voters in November, pledging to spend "serious"
money to defeat the proposal.

But supporters of the initiative, which mandates treatment rather than jail
or prison for first-and second-time drug possessors and nonviolent parole
violators, plan to counter with funds from their wealthy patrons. They also
have a new supporter, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell.

Neither side would disclose how much it plans to spend, but the comments
foreshadow a high-spending, high-profile campaign that could turn into a
national referendum on the drug war. Already, San Diego Chargers owner Alex
Spanos has donated $100,000 to defeat the initiative.

Jeff Thompson, lobbyist for the California Correctional Peace Officers
Association, said the union's political action committee voted to oppose
the measure because it would undermine drug laws and take away the
sentencing discretion of judges.

Thompson said the guards are willing to spend "some serious money to deal
with these out-of-state liberals."

Prison guards have a history of big campaign spending. From 1995 to 1998,
they ranked second among interest groups in political donations, according
to a new study by California Common Cause. In 1998, they spent about $2.5
million to help elect Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

Dave Fratello, spokesman for the ballot measure, said backers expect to
respond by getting more money from three wealthy contributors, including
billionaire financier George Soros, who backed the ballot drive.

"These guys are used to protecting their investment," Fratello said.

Furthermore, supporters plan to portray the union as selfish.

"This will be seen as prison guards trying to protect their jobs by keeping
people in prison," Fratello said. "I don't think the public is going to
stand for that."

Campbell, a San Jose congressman who is challenging Democratic incumbent
Dianne Feinstein, has become the first Republican elected official to
endorse the plan, saying he supports low-cost alternatives to the drug war.

A Legislative Analyst's Office report says the measure would save the state
between $100 million and $150 million a year by reducing the prison and
jail population. Currently, 19,000 inmates are in state prison for drug
possession.

"The present system is a failure; we should be debating alternatives,"
Campbell said. "The danger is to be intimidated into not talking about
alternatives for fear of being called 'soft on crime.' "