AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #233, October 20, 1995
John S. James
The bottled/filtered water bill would have only applied to persons with immune deficiency who could not safely boil their own water, and had no one else to boil it for them -- and it would only have applied when the county health department had made a recommendation that tap water be boiled. The bill was narrowed to this extent to satisfy legislators who otherwise would not have voted for it. The total cost, though hard to estimate, would clearly have been minimal -- in part because health departments and water districts are notoriously reluctant to declare boil-water advisories.
Why would Wilson veto this bill, which would cost so little and address the greatest need in an area of serious and growing concern in many parts of California? Wilson said he did because, "If a Medi-Cal beneficiary is incapable of boiling water or cannot obtain boiled water from a family member or friend, then the beneficiary is eligible to receive attendant services through the Medi-Cal program," and the attendant can boil water for them. In fact, attendant service is not available for many people. The real reason seems to be that Wilson plans to cut Medi-Cal benefits, and safe water would have been an increase, although a small one.
Until more people use the vote to insist on better quality public officials, the value of human life will remain small when government decisions are made.
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