‘Emergency’ Funding Bid Rejected by Deukmejian

Gov. George Deukmejian on Tuesday formally rejected Mayor Maureen O’Connor’s unorthodox request to declare a “state of emergency” and give San Diego $34 million to fight gang- and drug-related violence.

The governor had been highly skeptical of the proposal since it was unveiled in a surprise move by the mayor and the City Council in late May, when a spate of shootings caused them to declare a crime crisis. Deukmejian’s aides had criticized the tactic as a publicity stunt by the mayor, and Tuesday’s response from the governor, in a 2 1/2-page letter to O’Connor, was anticlimactic.

While the governor’s response did not explicitly reject the city’s proposal, it left little doubt that he failed to embrace the city’s position. If there was any doubt, it was put to rest by Deukmejian’s press spokesman, Kevin Brett.

‘Dismissed Immediately’

“We indicated right from the beginning that her request was unusual and inappropriate,” he said in a telephone interview from Sacramento. “It was dismissed immediately.”

Tuesday’s letter was merely the governor’s formal response to the request, Brett said.

O’Connor appeared undaunted by the governor’s stand.

“The emergency still exists, even if the governor doesn’t think so. It’s here and it’s not going to go away,” she said. “We’re disappointed. We’re disappointed the governor didn’t come down to San Diego.”

The mayor said she wanted Deukmejian to tour the city’s high-crime areas to see for himself the scope of the “emergency.”

“We’re going to continue the pressure. . . . This is only Round 1 of a series,” she said.

Surplus Showed Up

The unusual gambit by O’Connor and the council was created after state officials announced that a new analysis of the state budget showed an unanticipated $2.5-billion surplus. The mayor, with the backing of City Manager John Lockwood and Police Chief Bob Burgreen, called for a portion of the surplus to help the city cope with a situation O’Connor has characterized as growing beyond the city’s control.

But the maneuver caught several members of the local legislative contingent off guard, and the mayor’s aides said she did not consult with the governor’s office before making the request.

The council backed up the mayor by declaring a local state of emergency May 23, and impaneled an “emergency council” to determine how it would spend the money. The panel, consisting of three council members, the city attorney, city manager and police chief, will draft a response to the governor’s letter, O’Connor said.

The finding of an emergency led directly to the council’s newly stated goal of hiring 140 new police officers in the 1990 fiscal year, a move that can be accomplished only through substantial budget cuts in other city programs, according to Lockwood.

In his letter, Deukmejian recounted his administration’s record of providing new money and programs to fight crime at both the state and local levels.

Local Responsibility

“Law enforcement and crime prevention are first and foremost a local government responsibility,” he said. “Under my Administration, the state has made substantial new resources available to assist in the local law enforcement effort. It is incumbent upon local government to carefully target these resources to meet the needs of the communities they serve.”

Deukmejian noted that, among other programs, the state had increased “discretionary revenues” to cities, including $22 million to San Diego from vehicle license fees. The governor’s message: “These are resources which local government can use to meet its most pressing priorities, including public safety.”

“I believe that the state has moved aggressively to help meet the challenge of increasing drug- and gang-related crime, including providing substantial new resources to assist local law enforcement efforts,” the governor said. “Local government shares in this critical responsibility and must ensure that the available resources are spent wisely and efficiently to protect the public safety.”

O’Connor disputed some of the governor’s statistics, claiming that, despite increases in programs for the prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, for example, per-capita spending in San Diego lags behind Los Angeles and San Francisco.

While Deukmejian’s rejection is a setback, the mayor noted that some local legislators will continue efforts to obtain the one-time $34-million allocation. State Sen. Larry Stirling (R-San Diego) has submitted a bill requesting the grant. And O’Connor said she talked to state Sen. Waddie Deddeh (D-Chula Vista) on Tuesday and that he supports Stirling’s efforts.

Deukmejian’s press secretary said the proper place for the city’s request is in the legislative budget process.

“A state of emergency isn’t used for a budget request . . . and that’s exactly what she was requesting,” Brett said. “It’s a budget request pure and simple. The state of emergency was just a trapping for it.”

The mayor said she will continue to ask for a meeting with the governor.