SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (SF) - SATURDAY October 29, 1988 Edition: FINAL Section: NEWS Page: A1 Word Count: 842
Greg Lucas, Lori Olszewski, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

The California AIDS Leadership Committee, which advises the State Department of Health Services on AIDS, voted overwhelmingly to recommend against the measure last month.

"It's greatly disappointing and more than a little surprising that the governor is ignoring the best advice of the committee he blessed to serve as his AIDS Leadership Committee," said Dr. David Werdegar, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and a member of the committee.

Last night in San Francisco, about 1,000 demonstrators gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro area to denounce what one called "the governor's evil act."

"We're in the middle of a war here, and we're not going to take it anymore," Terry Beswick, of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, told the crowd.

After the 7 p.m. rally, the demonstrators, blowing whistles, waving "No on 102" signs and chanting, "Act up, fight back, fight AIDS," headed down Market Street toward downtown.

The governor's announcement prompted some members of the AIDS Leadership Committee to discuss whether they should resign, sources said yesterday.

Dr. Ken Kizer, director of the state Department of Health Services and co-chairman of the 33-member committee, sent a memo to Deukmejian in September advising the governor of the committee's recommended opposition to Proposition 102.

The memo said that if passed, Proposition 102 "would damage programs to protect the public from AIDS, slow research on AIDS, waste tens or even hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars unwisely, potentially jeopardize the safety of California's blood supply, curtail counseling and treatment for AIDS and interfere with doctors and nurses in caring for AIDS patients."

Dr. Marcus Conant of San Francisco, the other co-chairman of the leadership committee, said he and Laurens White, president of the California Medical Association, tried to call the governor yesterday to present again the medical evidence against Proposition 102.

"He did not return our call. Clearly, he is placing political considerations over those of respected medical advisers," Conant said.

GOVERNOR'S POSITIONS

Deukmejian's stand on Proposition 102 was one of a long list of his positions on November ballot measures released by his office. The governor said he would vote against Propositions 100, 101, 103, 104 and 106 - all of the insurance initiatives - because "each was designed to address only the interests of its particular sponsors."

Deukmejian said he opposes Proposition 97, to restore California's workplace safety program, and Proposition 99, which would add a 25-cent tax per pack of cigarets to pay for various health care programs.

Proposition 102, sponsored by conservative Representative William Dannemeyer, R-Fullerton, and tax crusader Paul Gann has been assailed by both gays and the medical community.

It has a long list of opponents, including public health directors across the state, the California Medical Association, the California Nurses Association, religious leaders and the American Red Cross, which customarily does not take positions on ballot measures.

DISCLOSING NAMES

Opponents argue that the disease will be driven underground when people who test positive for the HIV virus must report their names to local health departments - and the names of any sexual contacts - or face criminal penalties.

Proponents say the current law protects the infected at the expense of the uninfected. At present, California law only requires people with full-blown acquired immune deficiency syndrome to be reported.

"I have carefully considered the opinions of the (medical) experts on both sides," Deukmejian said in a prepared statement, "and have determined that the additional tools provided by this measure will enhance rather than impede efforts to stop the spread of AIDS."

Deukmejian's position was blasted at a press conference in San Francisco yesterday afternoon held by Mervyn Silverman, president of the American Foundation for AIDS Research; Werdegar; Timothy Wolfred, director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation; and a representative of the California Medical Association.

'ORWELLIAN' LAW

"This law scares me more than anything that has come before in the last seven years," Silverman said, calling the law "draconian" and "Orwellian."

In his memo to Deukmejian, Kizer said the committee concluded that Proposition 102 "ignores the best advice of public health experts and is not based on sound public health reasoning."

"I really am surprised and disappointed," Werdegar said in an interview. "I know the governor is conservative, but I really thought he would listen to sound advice from medical professionals."

Werdegar said he thinks any action by the committee, such as resignations, should be carefully considered because the committee is advising Kizer on the statewide AIDS response plan due next year.

"I have to think about this. I feel I owe loyalty to the state health director (Kizer) and want to show him support for his efforts. (But) the governor has in a sense reduced Dr. Kizer's effectiveness."

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Chronicle staff writer David Tuller contributed to this report.

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