$10 Million for Mental Health OKd

The Legislature sent the governor legislation Thursday that would allocate $10 million in tobacco tax revenues to county mental health programs and provide $6.8 million for measles vaccinations.

The two-house compromise report on the measure received votes of 65 to 3 in the Assembly and 28 to 5 in the Senate.

Opposition focused on fears that some of the money might be used for abortions, and that too little was allocated to the state’s largest cities.

“The arguments that Los Angeles and San Francisco aren’t getting their fair share are true,” Assemblyman Bruce Bronzan (D-Fresno) said. But he added: “None of the 58 counties is getting a fair share. It would take $1.3 billion to reinstitutionalize the mentally ill street population alone.”

Proposition 99, approved by voters in 1988, raised the tax on a pack of cigarettes to 35 cents. Last year, Gov. George Deukmejian signed legislation providing that $1.2 billion of the new revenues be used over two years to treat sickness and injuries of the poor, the uninsured and the mentally ill, and to finance anti-smoking campaigns.

The follow-up legislation passed Thursday, by Assemblyman Phillip Isenberg (D-Sacramento), would set up a fund to reimburse small and rural hospitals that have above-average uncompensated costs and would otherwise clarify how the money is allocated.

Major appropriations included $10 million for local mental health programs, $6.8 million for measles vaccinations, $1 million for rural health services and $1 million for child dental aid.

Among Southern California counties, Los Angeles will receive $2 million; Orange, $536,501; San Diego, $577,868, and Ventura, $160,929 for measles vaccinations. For the mental health money, the division is Los Angeles, $2.1 million; Orange, $629,000; San Diego, $1.2 million, and Ventura, $209,000.

The measure also allows state money to be spent on school-based health clinics.

Conservative Republicans, including Assemblyman Phillip Wyman of Tehachapi, objected that some of the money might be used to pay for abortions. In that case, he said, it would constitute “a deception” of voters who approved the tobacco tax increase for other reasons.

But Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) said lawmakers should not let abortion politics block an important health measure.

MEASLES EPIDEMIC--L.A. County steps up effort to control outbreak of disease. B1