D.A. to Continue Child Support Lobbying Bid

Local officials said they will continue lobbying Sacramento lawmakers to keep child support collections in the hands of Ventura County prosecutors, even as a bill stripping district attorneys of control of the program won broad support Monday.

“We don’t think it is in the best interests of kids to bar D.A.s from running this program,” said Stan Trom, director of Ventura County’s Child Support Division, which is part of Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury’s office.

It makes more sense, Trom said, to allow county boards to decide whether the district attorney should retain responsibility for the program. That way, district attorneys who are doing a good job would not be penalized, Trom said.

Ventura County performs well compared with other California counties, according to Trom. Local prosecutors collect child support payments in 41% of cases in which a court order has been obtained, he said. The state average is closer to 20%.

Although the state Assembly voted 44 to 27 to strip prosecutors of the job, Trom said he remains hopeful that a final bill will give district attorneys the option of competing with other county agencies to keep the program.

“This is a good-government issue,” he said. “I believe eventually the D.A.s will be able to compete to do the program.”

Supervisor Frank Schillo said he, too, favors allowing local officials to decide whether child support collection programs should remain with the district attorney or given to another county agency.

“I’m against any law in Sacramento that doesn’t treat counties individually,” Schillo said. “To make a blanket statement that all district attorneys are doing a crummy job is unfair.”

Key provisions of the bill, sponsored by Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), include creating a state department charged with collection and providing child support services, and removing district attorneys’ authority over child support programs, beginning in March 2001.

A similar bill in the Senate won overwhelming approval two weeks ago. Lawmakers in both houses must now come up with a single bill that will be acceptable to Gov. Gray Davis, who has not yet indicated whether he will support the legislation.

Child support advocates throughout the state have pushed for reform, saying district attorneys have done a poor job collecting payments. Statewide, an estimated $8 billion is owed to 3 million children.

LANDMARK VOTE: The state Assembly votes in favor of an overhaul of California’s child support system. A3