San Francisco Chronicle - Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer

But under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts, those subsidies could be reduced, making the medication cost unaffordable to Jackson and others.

On Wednesday, Jackson stood on the grounds of the state Capitol with hundreds of other people who fear cuts to HIV/AIDS services would lead to a resurgence of the disease and kill people who are living with it now.

"Seven years ago, my T-cell count was 50. Today, the HIV is undetectable. I was dying and the meds brought me back," said Jackson, 48, who lives in Sacramento and was among the earliest cases detected in San Francisco.

"This is a very scary time," he said, standing among the boisterous crowd bused in from as far as Los Angeles to protest the cuts.

California's lawmakers are considering Schwarzenegger's proposal to eliminate $80.1 million in HIV/AIDS programs. The cut would eliminate nearly all direct state funding for AIDS programs and services through the state Office of AIDS. An exception is the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program that provides medicine to Jackson and about 35,000 other low-income state residents. That program would take $12.3 million reduction from the $96 million the state spends now and would result in less drugs available and increased costs for some.

The proposal is part of Schwarzenegger's plan to fill a $24.3 billion hole in the state's budget and a key legislative committee will likely vote on the extent of the cuts to HIV/AIDS this week.

A Schwarzenegger spokeswoman said the Republican governor understands the consequences of the cuts but said the size of the deficit leaves no good options.

"Many of these cuts the governor would never consider except in a worst-case scenario, and this is the worst-case scenario," said Lisa Page, the governor's spokeswoman.

The plan means an 80 percent reduction in prevention, testing and counseling programs, along with significant cuts in programs for people living with HIV. Spending on housing support would be cut by 25 percent and funds to monitor and track the epidemic would be slashed by 80 percent, according to the state Department of Public Health.

But the plan faces pushback from the Legislature, where the leaders of both houses have announced their strong opposition. Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, sits on the committee that will vote on potential cuts and said he wants no reduction in funding for HIV/AIDS, though the committee also is considering wide-ranging cuts in health services for people receiving support from the state.

"Everyone and everything is getting pinched, so that might not be entirely possible," he said. At the rally, he admonished the administration to "open your eyes and recognize what will happen" if the cuts are made.

In San Francisco, city officials said the cuts as proposed would mean a $6 million reduction in all HIV/AIDS programs, according to the city's Department of Public Health, which is still determining the full impact of the proposal.

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation could lose $850,000 that pays for HIV testing, counseling, prevention and education projects, including efforts focused on African American men and gay men who use methamphetamine.

"If we're not able to test people and measure where the virus is going - that's just really basic," said Mark Cloutier, CEO of the foundation. "That would really set the state back."

E-mail Wyatt Buchanan at wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com.
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