Bradley Opposes Mandatory Drug Testing

Mayor Tom Bradley, continuing his anti-drug theme as he campaigns for governor, said Friday that he would be willing to volunteer to be tested for drugs, although he opposes mandatory drug tests for all government employees.

“I have no objection to taking the drug test, but I don’t think I should impose that on every member of my Administration,” Bradley said at a press conference. “I think it’s an intrusion on civil rights and civil liberties of people.”

Where there is “reasonable cause” to believe a worker is abusing drugs, Bradley said, he would favor mandatory testing. “But not on a blanket basis,” he added.

Asked whether the recent rash of accidents involving Southern California Rapid Transit buses indicated a need for mandatory testing, Bradley said that the RTD board, which oversees the bus system, should decide on its own whether it needs mandatory tests. Two RTD drivers involved in recent bus accidents were fired by the district after testing positive for drugs.

Support for Drug Programs

Later, he added: “There are a lot more important things to do about drugs than submitting yourself or your staff to drug tests. If you’re in the position of the President or the governor, you have control over giving financial support to drug programs instead of cutting them. That support is more important than saying everybody has to get tested.”

Bradley held a press conference here at the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic to criticize his rival, Gov. George Deukmejian, for vetoing $3 million in the state budget that would have been channeled to counties for AIDS treatment for intravenous drug users, Bradley said.

Clinic officials said 10% of the 2,000 intravenous drug users they see each year are infected with the AIDS virus, and the number is growing daily.

“Despite the alarming growth and the spread of AIDS” among heterosexual drug users, Bradley said, Deukmejian vetoed money that could have been used to help control the spread of the disease.

Budget Increase Cited

Christy Flynn, a Deukmejian campaign spokesman, said the 1986-87 state budget has a $12-million increase for AIDS programs from last year.

The governor has supported increases for AIDS programs, she said, adding that California “spends three times as much for AIDS as New York does, although New York exceeds the number of AIDS cases.”

Bradley, later in Fresno, called for making the war against drug abuse “this state’s top priority.” He also made campaign stops to meet with supporters Friday in San Jose and Sacramento.