Immunization Plan Mired in Allegations : Health: Democrats accuse GOP of playing politics with vaccines for children. County officials blame poor planning.

Democratic Party officials are blaming politics for Orange County’s withdrawal of support for free child-immunization drives scheduled next month and sponsored by local Democrats.

In letters sent to county leaders and to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, party members said they believe that one aide--and possibly two--for the all-Republican Board of Supervisors pressured the county Health Care Agency to renege on pledges of vaccine and other supplies for use during the Aug. 28 events in San Juan Capistrano and Santa Ana.

But those allegations were denied by Dr. Gerald A. Wagner, the county’s acting public health officer, who said foul-ups in planning, and not politics, have doomed the group’s effort.

“The sponsors couldn’t assure us that good medical care would be provided,” Wagner said. “It is an unfortunate affair. The planning was bad from the very beginning.”

Those affiliated with the drive from the Democratic Party declined to comment Friday, but letters distributed by Jeanne Costales, the party’s immunization clinic coordinator, and region director Ray Cordova say that the county agreed to take part in the drive in May.

That pledge, according to the letters, came with the assurances that the events would not be used to promote political philosophies.

But between that time and late last month, the party’s effort has seen support initially offered by the county and other sponsors, including the American Red Cross, dissolve and threaten the project.

“I am convinced that the Republican Party is playing a strong role in (its) attempts to stop our program,” Cordova said in a letter last month to Boxer’s office.

Specifically, Cordova indicated that Lilia Powell, an aide to Republican Supervisor William G. Steiner, was “spearheading the drive to stop our immunization program.”

In a separate letter from Costales distributed to county officials earlier this week, the immunization director stated that Powell had been discouraging other groups, including the Girl Scouts and Red Cross, from participating in the event because of political overtones.

Also in that letter, Costales said she was told that Supervisor Roger R. Stanton’s office was also discouraging the county’s involvement.

Stanton could not be reached for comment immediately. Steiner has scheduled a Monday meeting with Cordova to discuss the issue, he said.

“I would welcome any effort to provide immunization to children, as long as it is not in promotion of any political persuasion,” Steiner said.

Kathleen Crowley, an aide to Steiner, said Powell had made routine inquiries about the immunization program.

“We would have been making inquiries” about the propriety of it, Crowley said. “Blocking it is certainly not what our agenda is. It wasn’t a big deal, but we wanted to see if it was appropriate or not appropriate.

“We’ve never seen anything come through sponsored by the Democratic or Republican parties,” Crowley said. “We would have made the same inquiries if it were a Republican event. I was not a big deal.”

Wagner said partisan politics played no role in the county’s decision to withdraw support. Although the Health Care Agency had offered its help, Wagner said the Democrats encountered a number of planning problems along the way and could not provide proper medical oversight and liability insurance for the event.

“They wanted us to staff the clinic and provide liability insurance for all the volunteers that came in,” Wagner said. “It’s unfortunate, because this affair makes everybody look bad. . . . I was not about to risk medical malpractice.”

Nevertheless, organizers are continuing an attempt to salvage the effort. Although Cordova is scheduled to meet with Steiner, “I expect no cooperation from the supervisor’s office,” he stated in the letter to Boxer.

“We are more concerned about proceeding with the program and possibly receiving our vaccine from another source,” Cordova’s letter said.