Brown Gets Vow of Help From Clinton : Finances: The state treasurer and the President discuss California’s problems. She says he will reimburse costs of education and health services for immigrants.

California Treasurer Kathleen Brown said Wednesday that President Clinton pledged in a private meeting to reimburse large states for the cost of providing health and education services to immigrants.

Without specifying how much of the state’s $1.5-billion request for federal immigrant funds he was prepared to put in his budget, Clinton vowed that he would be responsive to the needs of California, Brown said.

“He seemed to be concerned about how critical California is to the recovery of the national economy,” Brown said.

Brown, who attended a three-day State Treasurers’ Assn. conference in Washington, met with Clinton in the Oval Office for about 40 minutes Tuesday. She said the President took notes throughout the session, and she described his demeanor as “steady, focused, energized and very relaxed.”

On Wednesday, Brown had breakfast with a bipartisan gathering of about 30 members of the California congressional delegation. The meeting marked only the second time in recent years that a large contingent of both California Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have met in the same room. Last month, both sides sat down with Republican Gov. Pete Wilson.

The once notoriously divided delegation has come a long way in attempting to unify as an influential force in Congress, she said. Only a few years ago, Brown said, her request to meet with the entire delegation fell on deaf ears. Brown met with Republicans and Democrats separately.

“It was light years from what I had seen previously,” Brown said of Wednesday’s meeting.

Brown presented the delegation with “A Federal Investment Strategy for California,” an eight-page white paper with ideas to stimulate the state’s economy. Among the proposals are expanding the scope of tax-exempt bonds to finance infrastructure projects and ensuring that California receives its fair share of federal grants.

Despite being the nation’s largest state, California ranks near the bottom in per capita funding for special education programs and waste water treatment grants, Brown said.

Brown said she was encouraged during the meeting when Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-San Diego) expressed a willingness to work with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and others to provide relief for South Los Angeles in the wake of last year’s riots. Some conservative Republicans last year opposed a federal urban aid package targeted for South Los Angeles because they did not want to “reward” inner-city residents for engaging in civil unrest.

A spokesman said Cunningham is interested in supporting enterprise zones, welfare reform and job training programs to help solve inner-city problems.