4 CITY REPRESENTATIVES FEAR LOSS OF FEDERAL CASH

Veto Stands On Drug Resolution

The council sought to override Mayor John Cook's veto of the controversial
resolution the council approved last week. To override the veto, six of
the eight city representatives needed to vote against it.

In the end, after more than three hours of discussion, the vote was 4-4.

"If we would have voted yesterday on this item, I would have voted to
override because I feel that there needs to be a serious discussion on
what is working and what is not working in the war on drugs," East-Central
city Rep. Emma Acosta said. "But when (U.S. Rep. Silvestre) Reyes sends a
letter telling us that federal funding is going to be cut if we continued,
then I had to step back and do what is right for El Paso at this point."

Voting with Acosta were Northeast city Rep. Melina Castro, East Side city
Rep. Rachel Quintana and East-Valley city Rep. Eddie Holguin.

All said Reyes' comments that federal money would be cut made them change
their mind about continuing to support the resolution.

Reyes didn't attend the meeting, but in a letter and several phone calls
to individual city representatives, he warned about the consequences of
the council's support of the resolution.

"As our nation faces one of the worst economic crises since the Great
Depression, (U.S.) Congress is currently crafting an economic stimulus
package in which El Paso stands to benefit," he said. "This is where our
focus must be at this critical time, and it is important that our message
reflect priorities that will provide real gains for the community."

The five state representatives to the Texas Legislature from El Paso also
sent a letter to the council telling it that state money for local law
enforcement and other program could be lost if the resolution received
continued support. State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh refused to sign the letter.

South-West city Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who drafted the wording of the
resolution, asking for the debate on the legalization of drugs, called the
letters "threats" that came without any substantial information to back
them up.

"I have not heard a specific amount that we may lose, or the name of a
senator or congressman or congresswoman who says they will vote against
giving El Paso funding," O'Rourke said. "It's a sad day in America, when
you are threatened by wanting to have an open debate on an issue that is
affecting our country and our region."

In addition, O'Rourke said of Reyes, "I know the congressman to be a man
of conviction and I admired his vote against the Iraq War. I don't think
that he would have changed his vote against the war if the Republican
Party had threatened to cut funding for El Paso."

Salvador Payan, Reyes' deputy chief of staff, said no specific bill has
funding for El Paso that could be threatened, but news of the resolution
could have been used by opposing members of Congress to vote against bills
that would benefit the area.

In a separate statement sent to the Times, Reyes said, "I felt this
resolution was counterproductive to ongoing efforts to project a unified
voice in the community, as we are advocating for federal projects that
will likely be included in upcoming legislation to stimulate the economy.
I also felt the timing of resolution was inappropriate, particularly as
President (Felipe) Calderon was meeting with President Bush,
President-elect (Ba rack) Obama, and Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi this week."

The council's unanimous vote last week in support of the resolution made
national headlines. A week after the vote, El Pasoans were still talking
about the legalization of drugs.

Nearly 30 people signed up to speak to the council on the issue Tuesday,
and the e-mails and calls the city representatives said they received
seemed to show a split over their support of the legalization of drugs.

"I've had two relatives who have died because of drug use, and I have
other relatives who are addicts," said Northeast resident Carl Robinson.
"Legalizing drugs is not the answer."

But UTEP student Nubia Legarda said the issue of legalization should be
studied as a way to end the drug-related violence that led to 1,600
slayings in Juarez last year.

"Our sister city has been under siege for almost a year now," she said,
and pointed out that she has not visited relatives in Juarez for months.
"We need peace and for that to happen, we need to have all options on the
table."