Bush’s Drug Plan Greeted Warmly by O.C. Officials

President Bush’s plan for a four-point, $8-billion war on drugs was greeted warmly Tuesday night by Orange County officials from the halls of Congress all the way down to local police and drug-abuse experts.

“If people were looking for some silver bullets and quick fixes and easy answers, they didn’t get them from George Bush tonight,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Lomita). “What they got was a solid management plan to tackle a major social problem.”

Rep. C. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) said Bush showed he believed “that the highest and best use of the Presidency in the war on drugs is to rally the American people to the cause.”

Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad) said of the speech, “I thought it was well outlined, and I think he covered the bases. . . . There is nothing more critical for us right now than getting this war on drugs off to a good start.”

Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Brad Gates reacted with exuberance.

“The overall strategy is a very solid one,” Gates said. “What I like about it is that we’re getting what law-enforcement agencies asked.”

Gates said Bush’s emphasis on educating schoolchildren is vital in battling drug abuse.

Schools, the sheriff said, “have to get involved and quit turning their heads on the topic.”

“That he wants to talk to students is an extremely good thing,” Gates said of the President. “He’s saying, ‘I’m going to support you and give you what you need to overcome your problems.’ ”

Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas F. Riley said Orange County residents need to rekindle the “never-say-die” ethic of previous eras to effectively bring anti-drug messages to neighborhoods.

“This country was built on a spirit that when you want to do something, it could be done,” Riley said. “We need to try that. The dollars don’t concern me that much. I want everyone to get together to attack this thing. I hope we have the guts and inspiration and desire to move forward.”

Echoing that theme was Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), who said, “President Bush in his speech tonight reminded all of us that we are accountable for our actions. . . .

“America has witnessed, since the Great Society programs, an experiment with a permissive philosophy where we all have rights but no one has duties,” Dannemeyer added. He said Bush properly asserted that even casual drug users contribute to violence and death.

Those casual users, said Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), “are saboteurs inside their country. They’re a Fifth Column; they’re traitors; they’re collaborators. We’ve got to brand them with those words.”

The President proposed spending $7.9 million in the next fiscal year to beef up law enforcement at home, halt drug production abroad, treat drug users and educate those not yet using drugs.

While all five of Orange County’s representatives said Congress is likely to pay for the Bush plan, which calls for a 39% increase in drug-related spending over the 1989 fiscal year, Cox and Dornan said they believe Democrats may try to use the drug war as a means to enact a federal tax increase.

“There is a feeling here that this is an issue to get a little hidden agenda through and that is a tax increase,” Dornan said. He noted that Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Delaware), in the Democratic response to the President’s speech, criticized the Bush plan for failing to go far enough. Dornan added that Bush already has called for the death penalty for drug kingpins.

“I don’t know what he (Biden) would suggest in the capital punishment area,” Dornan said, “Drawing and quartering? Bringing back the rack?”

Cox added, “When the President said we don’t want families broken up by the scourge of drugs, my reaction was, neither do we want families to go broke because of bloated, inefficient, new federal drug programs. . . .

“The President reminded the American people, and more pointedly the Congress, that he intendes to stick to his pledge of no new taxes,” Cox added.

Officials such as Riley, who called Bush’s plan “believable,” also wondered how it will be implemented.

“Where do we get the jails? I’m not sure where all this money’s coming from,” Riley said.

Tim Mullins, the county’s mental health director and drug program administrator, said he liked the President’s emphasis on jailing convicted drug runners and abusers.

“The difference between this approach and previous ones is the increased awareness in conviction and apprehension,” Mullins said. “I have not seen that before.”

But Mullins also wondered where the money will come from to pay for the proposal.

“It was somewhat unclear if it’s new money,” he said. “I can only hope the dollars don’t come from other social service avenues. If funding comes from housing programs or other services, then it’s a shell game.”

Supervisor Roger Stanton, who has voted for a new county jail in the Gypsum Canyon area, said the idea of building new prisons appeals to him. He said he’d like to see money used for jails in Orange County.

“What I’m pleased about is that the national strategy will link law enforcement with prevention and foreign affairs. That’s a good step.”

Police chiefs welcomed Bush’s offer to assist local agencies.

“I thought he hit on all the areas he had to hit on,” said San Clemente Police Chief Al Ehlow. “I like his call for team-playing.”

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters said local agencies need more support from state agencies.

“It’s very important that there be a national program, but I question if it’s enough,” he said. “I’m not sure there are enough resources there.”

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said that he hopes federal money can go directly to local jurisdictions because he fears state agencies could complicate distribution.

“The more direct we can invest money in local law enforcement agencies the better,” he said.

Vasquez said it remains to be seen how much Orange County communities will be helped by the strategy. He said that he expects the county’s top law enforcement officers to “stand ready shoulder to shoulder to fight the war on drugs collectively.”

Mullins, too, wanted the plan to help the county.

“We don’t want to become another Oakland or Washington, D.C.,” he said. “We have too much going for us to let drugs ruin our community.”

Robert W. Stewart reported from Washington and Thomas Becher reported from Costa Mesa. Times staff writer Ted Johnson also contributed to this report. ORANGE COUNTY OFFICIALS ASSESS DRUG PLAN

Brad Gates

sheriff-coroner

“The overall strategy is a very solid one. What I like about it is that we’re getting what law-enforcement agencies asked.” Schools “have to get involved and quit turning their heads on the topic.”

Thomas F. Riley

Board of Supervisors chairman

“This country was built on a spirit that when you want to do something, it could be done. We need to try that. The dollars don’t concern me that much. I want everyone to get together to attack this thing. I hope we have the guts and inspiration and desire to move forward.”

Dana Rohrabacher

Republican congressman, Lomita

“If people were looking for some silver bullets and quick fixes and easy answers, they didn’t get them from George Bush tonight. What they got was a solid management plan to tackle a major social problem.”

Roger R. Stanton

county supervisor

“What I’m pleased about is that the national strategy will link law enforcement with prevention and foreign affairs. That’s a good step.” Stanton said he’d like to see some of the money used for jails in Orange County.

Paul Walters

Santa Ana police chief

“It’s very important that there be a national program, but I question if it’s enough. I’m not sure there are enough resources there (in the President’s program).”