Later Faces Angry Victim of Flood : Governor Has Emergency Landing

Gov. George Deukmejian’s airplane had to make an emergency landing Wednesday because of engine trouble, and later in the day he was accused by an angry woman of political opportunism, during an unorthodox inspection trip of flood-damaged Napa and Sonoma counties.

The pilot of the governor’s airplane, a two-engine Beechcraft King Air, had to shut down one engine and return to Sacramento shortly after takeoff early Wednesday.

“I’m mighty glad we were flying in a plane that had two engines,” Deukmejian observed later. “I understand one of the throttles was not working properly.”

After the engine was repaired, Deukmejian flew on to Santa Rosa in the same airplane, owned by the state Fish and Game Department.

When the governor landed, he immediately was confronted by an angry woman just evacuated from her flooded home in Guerneville, who charged that he had cut aid programs for the needy and made the trip for political purposes.

‘You Have Cut Aid . . . ‘

“Low-income people live in flooded areas,” Noni Mitchell said, “and you have cut aid programs for the needy.”

“You’re speaking an untruth,” Deukmejian replied coolly. “You’re totally wrong. Obviously, you’re making a political statement.”

“Your coming here is a political thing, too,” Mitchell shot back, referring to Deukmejian’s official announcement on Tuesday that he is running for reelection.

“I’m here because I am concerned about these people,” insisted Deukmejian, who was accompanied by a handful of reporters. Television crews also were on hand to film the visit.

As the governor turned to continue down the aisle of the Red Cross-Sonoma County evacuation center, filled with cots, men, women and children, Donald Kostick of Guerneville stopped him and apologized for Mitchell’s remarks.

“We’re all here because of a disaster, not to fight political battles,” Kostick said. “It’s not fair for someone to jump on you politically because you’re here. I just hope you can help us.”

Others Happy to See Him

The majority of citizens the governor talked to at the evacuation center also seemed happy to see him.

Afterwards, Deukmejian said, “This is one of the worst events that has occurred in California . . . a very, very major flood disaster.”

The governor said state agencies “will do all they can do” in cooperation with local agencies and volunteers to help flood victims.

Deukmejian has not asked President Reagan to declare flood-stricken parts of Northern California a federal disaster area, but is expected to do so soon. A presidential declaration would make qualified individuals, businesses and local governments eligible for federal assistance ranging from loans and grants for property repairs to federal income tax breaks.

Officials Optimistic

Meantime, federal officials in Washington and state officials in Sacramento expressed confidence that despite the fiscal straitjacket that the new Gramm-Rudman deficit-cutting law has imposed on spending by the federal government, Congress will come up with funds needed to take care of California disaster victims.

“Usually a congressman will be reluctant to vote against that sort of thing because it could be his district next,” said Bill McAda, spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

He indicated that as a result of the California floods, his agency likely will seek additional spending authority from Congress because it faces a threatened cash shortage. He noted that particularly severe floods in West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania in November had consumed $169 million of the agency’s $190 million annual budget for disaster aid.