Clinton Asks $6.6 Billion in Aid : Schools Open Amid Relief, Some Mix-Ups : Recovery: President’s request would bring the U.S. commitment for earthquake assistance to $7.5 billion. Funds would help rebuild schools, roads, assist homeless.

The Clinton Administration on Tuesday announced a $6.6-billion aid package for victims of the Northridge earthquake and pledged that the money will not get bogged down in a debate over finding offsetting cuts in the pared-down federal budget.

The money is proposed for a wide range of emergency assistance in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including education funds to restore the shattered school system and highway funds to rebuild broken freeways. The Administration also is asking for $150 million for rent vouchers, enabling 10,000 homeless earthquake victims to apply for subsidies to help pay for private apartments for up to 18 months.

Combined with nearly $900 million in previously committed funds, the Administration’s request totals $7.5 billion, one of the largest emergency aid packages ever proposed by the federal government.

Reaction to the Clinton proposals from California generally was positive and grateful, but also tinged with caution that it might not be enough.

In other developments Tuesday:

* The overall death toll from the magnitude 6.6 Northridge quake climbed to 60 with the death of a woman injured in a car crash while traffic lights were blacked out after the Jan. 17 shaking. Of the 60, 57 died in Los Angeles County, two in Kern County and one in San Bernardino County.

* Traffic hit new peaks on quake-damaged freeways as schools reopened and more people returned to work. Congestion was worst for commuters traveling between the Santa Clarita Valley and Los Angeles, while motorists elsewhere experienced moderate delays.

* Los Angeles public schools opened their doors for the first time in a week and quake-jittery children flowed into classrooms where teachers spent the day counseling youths. While attendance in the hard-hit San Fernando Valley was less than half of normal, administrators estimated attendance overall to be about 80%.

* State Treasurer Kathleen Brown, declaring that she would be a “friendly banker” to earthquake victims, proposed a $1.3-billion state earthquake relief package to supplement Clinton’s plan.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, reacting to the Clinton Administration plan, said, “This is a tremendous and incredibly swift federal response to an unprecedented disaster. Hour by hour, we are learning the increasing dimension of the damage and its incredible effects on our local economy. We are just beginning to assess the mid-term and longer-range impact. In the absence of clear numbers, we just don’t know if this is the full amount necessary.”

Gov. Pete Wilson was more skeptical. In a letter to Clinton, Wilson said he was grateful but said he expects California will need much more help by the time the cost of the quake is tallied.

“The preliminary numbers . . . involving transportation appear to be similar to initial damage estimates that we in the state have obtained. However, in all other areas . . . it is impossible and unreasonable to commit to a dollar amount.”

A Wilson spokesman said, “We want to look at this with a huge warning. Proceed with caution. We don’t want California left holding the bag if the numbers are low-balled.”

White House Budget Director Leon Panetta emphasized that the federal request is preliminary, based on the best damage estimates available, and will be revised upward if needed, as in the process Congress followed with emergency aid to flood-ravaged Midwest states.

The federal aid package for Florida and Hawaii for hurricane damage in 1992 totaled $8.5 billion, Panetta said, and about $4.5 billion was allocated for last summer’s devastating Midwest floods.

“This is, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the largest disaster they’ve had to deal with,” he said. “They are dealing with 99,000 applications (for aid).”

Panetta, backed at a midday news conference by a group of nine Democrats but only one Republican from the state’s congressional delegation, is counting on bipartisan support for the proposal even in the face of Republican calls for a pay-as-you-go approach that would require cuts in other federal programs to finance quake relief.

“This is an emergency by any definition of the term,” said Panetta. “We must ask the Congress and the country to respond.”

The largest chunk of money, $3.84 billion, will go to FEMA, mostly for infrastructure repairs, including $700 million for the city’s devastated school system. Other funds will be used for temporary housing, crisis counseling and repair of public buildings, non-federal roads, water systems, government buildings and eligible nonprofit buildings.

Los Angeles Unified school board President Leticia Quezada said the pledge “is an incredible reassurance and gives us tremendous hope” that the district will be able to rebuild.

The next-largest allocation is $1.35 billion to help repair the region’s damaged freeway system. The Department of Transportation money would go for clearing debris, emergency traffic operations and repair of roads and bridges, including the nine major highway failures in the Los Angeles area.

The Small Business Administration would receive $757 million in additional funds to write disaster loans to homeowners, renters and business owners.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is in line to get $500 million, $150 million of which would pay for 10,000 rental vouchers to allow families to move into new apartments with subsidized rents. HUD would also receive money for repairs to federally insured multifamily housing.

President Clinton also requested a $400-million contingency fund to pay for unanticipated expenses from other federal departments.

In many instances the federal government will pick up 90% of the FEMA expenditures, but some programs require a non-waivable 25% state match.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles on Thursday and is expected to make several quake-related stops before receiving an award at an AIDS banquet.

Rep. Julian Dixon (D-Los Angeles), a House Appropriations Committee member who helped push for the swift emergency assistance, said the sometimes-divided California delegation “to a person was satisfied and very pleased with the federal response.”

Rep. Jerry Lewis of Redlands, a Republican member of the appropriations panel, echoed those thoughts, saying he “couldn’t be more pleased” with the package. But he said “it may only be the beginning as (damage) numbers roll in.”

California delegation members said that the powerful appropriations chairmen in both houses of Congress were backing the aid request.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer said they each contacted Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) shortly after the quake to solicit his support for emergency funding. Both said they received assurances from Byrd that he would back whatever the Administration requested from Congress.

“I called Bob Byrd as soon as I saw what was happening. He committed his 100% support,” said Feinstein. “I have assurances that the supplemental will be added to, both from the Administration and a willingness from Sen. (Robert J.) Dole, so I think we’ve got enough flexibility there.”

Senate Minority Leader Dole over the weekend had advocated that the quake aid be balanced by other budget cuts. But in remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Dole passed up a chance to repeat the threat.

Although some conservative members of Congress will certainly raise objections to the federal aid being “off budget,” Administration officials are hopeful that the package can be approved on an accelerated legislative schedule. Panetta, who said the $6.6-billion supplemental appropriation request will be introduced today, hopes to have the legislation on President Clinton’s desk in a little over two weeks.

“We would ask that Congress and the American people approach this with the same sense of compassion” that had been shown in other disasters, “and that the Congress act expeditiously,” Panetta said.

Many California Republicans could find themselves in the position of voting for the California aid package, despite voting against similar “off-budget” emergency aid for the Midwest flooding.

Asked about the predicament, Lewis chuckled and then responded: “Consistency is not required in this process. A crisis becomes ever more real as it comes to your back door.”

Yet some members of the California delegation will undoubtedly be troubled by the plan. Fourteen Republicans failed to sign a delegation letter sent last week urging Clinton to seek emergency aid.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) said, “I don’t think every time you have an emergency you have to reduce other spending, but there should be some offsets. It shouldn’t be totally deficit-enlarging. I’d be more comfortable (with the package) if a respectable portion is not passed on to a future generation.”

Rohrabacher, who is pushing for an amendment to the supplemental aid bill prohibiting disaster aid to illegal immigrants, said that if he is barred by the Democratic majority from bringing his amendment to a vote, he may withhold his vote for the aid request.

“I don’t know, I’m in an unsure position.”

Wilson’s reluctance to say how much aid the state will provide for disaster relief was criticized Tuesday by some Democrats.

Wilson spokeswoman Leslie Goodman said the governor still believes it is too early to decide whether California should raise money through taxes or bond issues to contribute to the recovery effort.

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) described Clinton’s proposal as “fabulous” and faulted Wilson for his cautious reaction.

Brown noted that California will have to pick up at least 10% of the costs and said the state inevitably will need more money, either from a sales tax or gasoline tax surcharge.

Brown said Wilson’s approach could be counterproductive because the governor is giving the impression that Californians do not want to contribute to their own recovery. That could cause a backlash in Congress, Brown said.

“I think California’s standing with the rest of the nation is one of a kind of selfishness,” Brown said. “For us to be seeking assistance without first making a sacrifice is not terribly persuasive.”

State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), whose district includes many of the hardest-hit areas, said he still believes a temporary sales tax hike may be needed.

“If $7 billion covered it, I’d be delighted,” Hayden said. “But something tells me we ought to keep the sales tax issue alive a while longer, until we see what the total costs are.”

Hayden added: “We can’t expect the national taxpayers to entirely subsidize us. We’re going to have to do our share as well.”

Contributing to this story were Times staff writers Glenn F. Bunting in Washington, Daniel M. Weintraub in Sacramento, and Mark Lacey and Stephanie Chavez in Los Angeles.

* RELATED COVERAGE: A4-A7, A26, B1-B3, D1, D3

Federal Aid

Clinton Administration officials Tuesday recommended $6.6 billion in new funding for earthquake recovery. Combined with $900 million already released to deal with the emergency, the total comes to $7.5 billion. Federal officials gave the following breakdown of the proposed spending:

* $3.4 billion to FEMA to rebuild public schools, roads and utilities and to provide temporary aid to individual quake victims.

* $1.3 billion to repair bridges, freeways and other portions of the transportation infrastructure.

* $757 million to the Small Business Administration for low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses.

* $500 million for housing assistance under HUD.

* $400 million for a presidential contingency fund and a variety of programs administered by other federal agencies.

* $245 million for education system operating costs. In addition, $700 million of the $3.9 billion in FEMA aid would go toward school rebuilding and for the purchase of modular classrooms.

* $21 million for VA hospital repairs.