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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

NEWS
FEBRUARY 2002

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DAVIS SHIELDS AIDES. According to a December 9 story in the San Francisco Chronicle, Governor Davis is arguing that eight top administration officials, including his education secretary Kerry Mazonni, and superintendent of public instruction, Delaine Eastin, should not have to testify in a class-action lawsuit brought against the state by Bay Area students. The case is Williams v. California, which seeks to make officials accountable for poor school conditions. The state may find the point difficult to argue since their lawyers have been deposing students as young as nine years old for the case. Although still more than a year away from trial, the Chronicle reported that Davis' private legal team has already racked up $5 million in legal fees with most going to attorneys from the firm O'Melveny & Meyers who charge $325 an hour. The Chronicle reported that if students win the case, taxpayers could also be liable for the fees amassed by the ACLU and a nonprofit law firm. The students are being represented pro bono by the Morrison & Foerster law firm. In papers filed in San Francisco superior court, Davis argued that the state officials "cannot be expected to have personal knowledge of the detailed facts" of the conditions in the schools while lawyers for the students think otherwise. On December 7, a judge ordered the state to produce their high-ranking officials for deposition within 30 days or file court papers explaining why not.


CATHOLIC HEALTHCARE WEST FACES DEFECTIONS. Seton Medical Center of Daly City joined six other Catholic hospitals in leaving Catholic Healthcare West on December 31, 2001. The hospital, along with the other six, is now aligned with the Daughters of Charity Health System. On December 31, parties reached an amicable split that formally shifted the seven Daughters of Charity-sponsored hospitals into the newly-formed Daughters of Charity Health System.

Courtney Conlon, who works in the marketing and corporate communications division for Seton medical center in Daly City and Seton coastside in Moss Beach, stressed that the newly formed organization will remain true to the teachings of the church regarding issues such as abortion, birth control, and sterilization. She said, "[T]he ministry is going to continue to uphold the ethical and religious directives of the Church." She went on to stress that the Daughters of Charity, who opened the first free medical clinic of its kind in California in 1913, "believe in having more local control of the healthcare for the community." What this means, according to Conlon, is that the new Seton will have its own board of directors in order to be "responsive and responsible to the community needs."

Catholic Healthcare West, with 42 hospitals, is the largest not-for-profit health care provider in California and the largest Catholic hospital system in the western part of the United States. The Daughters of Charity Health System will now include, in addition to Seton, O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, Saint Louise regional hospital in San Francisco, Seton medical center coastside in Moss Beach, Robert F. Kennedy medical center in Hawthorne, St. Francis medical center in Lynwood, and St. Vincent medical center in Los Angeles.

Michelle Sanders, a former nurse at Seton, said the changes would improve the situation there. She said, "It sounds good from a Catholic nurses' point of view. I chose to work at Seton because it was Catholic so as long as they continue to follow the teachings of the Church I think I'm okay with it. As long as that continues I think it's a good idea." Asked if a more community-focused approach will bring about a real difference, Sanders said, "Changes needed to be made from a nurse's perspective as far as the management/nurse ratio, so I think more focus on the issues of each particular hospital should be a good thing and improve overall care for patients."


STD OUTBREAK IN SF. In a David Bragi story in the December 17 edition of SF Gate -- in the United States, more than 25 sexually transmitted diseases have been identified, over 65 million people have an incurable STD and 15 million people are infected with an STD every year. Bragi's source is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to him, the good news is that syphilis rates have decreased dramatically over the last four years, except in certain communities. The bad news is that San Francisco is one of those communities. The city's syphilis rate of 6.8 cases per 100,000 residents is more than three times the national average, with 51 cases reported last year. San Francisco health officials believe that men who have sex with men are thought to account for much of the local syphilis outbreak within "sexual networks". Bragi quotes health officials who also think HIV is on the rise, possibly because of an over-optimistic belief in AIDS drugs.


BUDGET ANALYST PEGS HOMELESS COST IN SF. At the request of San Francisco Supervisor Gavin Newsom, the budget analyst for the board of supervisors released a report on December 13 which forecasts the city's total expenditures on homeless people for fiscal year 2001-2002 at over $104 million. The last estimate, for the 1993-1994 fiscal year, put the cost at just over $31 million. According to the analyst, the jump is partly attributable to expanding the accounting to include capital improvement projects and administrative costs. An estimated 94,215 people will be served by the city's direct services and facilities provided by the city. No figure was given for how many were served in 1993-1994.


BATTLES OVER MARRIAGE. The second half of the 2001-2002 legislative session will open with a bang this month with the resurrection of a bill which seeks to bring Vermont-style civil unions to California. West Hollywood assemblyman Paul Koretz (D) needs to get his assembly bill 1338 through the lower house by January 31, the deadline for last year's bills to pass the assembly. The Koretz bill could pass, but if so, expect the vote to be 41 'ayes' -- the minimum number of votes needed to pass. The Democratic caucus' sizeable majority will allow them to protect up to nine of their members who hail from contested districts by having them not vote on the controversial bill. If the bill passes both houses, Davis will likely sign it into law since Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Riordan is riding high in the polls and outflanking Davis on the left with his long record of support for homosexual advocacy and abortion while mayor of Los Angeles. In their "2001 Final Legislative Report," the California Catholic Conference has gone on record opposing the Koretz bill.

Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy (R-Arcadia) has introduced assembly bill 1326, which would add one sentence to California's education code: "The promotion of homosexuality in public schools is prohibited." This bill will most likely get killed in the assembly education committee.


RIORDAN ON ABORTION. In his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan has called for more taxpayer funding for abortion. In a November 8 interview, Los Angeles Times columnist, George Skelton asked Riordan "whether he had core political beliefs." "My basic conviction," said Riordan, "is what is in the best interest of the poor. We need to have successful businesses so there will be quality jobs.... We should fire bureaucrats in school districts who fail poor children." And, said the Republican contender, "the poor should have the same option on abortion that the rich have. Government should supply the resources so poor people have a choice."

"I just lost the Republican nomination," said Riordan after his revelation, though his stance on abortion is no secret. The official "Riordan for Governor" website quotes the candidate as saying that he is "in favor of the right for women to make their own moral choice. I believe economically disadvantaged women should have access to medical funds, so they have the same right to make the choice as any other woman. You're not really giving the choice to somebody unless they have the wherewithal (to pay for an abortion). I'm against third-trimester -- or late-term -- abortions," Riordan continued. "Underage females should get permission from their parents. I don't like abortion. but a woman has the right to make her own choice."


OTHER G.O.P. CONTENDERS ON ABORTION. Bill Simon, said his press secretary, Bob Taylor, "is pro-life and makes no bones about the fact that he is pro-life. He has been asked that question at a number of venues across the state and he always answers it very crisply and matter-of-factly: I am pro-life and proud of it." Though Simon is pro-life, he does not intend to make the right-to-life "a centerpiece of his campaign," said Taylor, "because he thinks the predominant issues right now are the state's budget crisis and total mismanagement coming out of the governor's office."

What does Simon say about exceptions? "Regarding Roe v. Wade and so forth," said Taylor, Simon "says he intends when he is governor to uphold the law, whatever the law is at the time. His personal view is that he is pro-life." Would he favor, like Riordan, expanding state aid for abortions? "I don't think Bill agrees with that. In fact, he has said that, and I have been with him when he has said that. He doesn't agree that we should expand the opportunity to do that."

According to Taylor, Simon's wife is "pro-choice." Simon "and Dick Riordan are buddies and friends, in the sense that they both live in the same neighborhood and both go to the same Catholic church [Saint Monica's in Santa Monica]. They indeed have worked on some joint projects in L.A. in the charitable arena, in tandem on a couple of projects."

Investors Business Daily's George Neumayr, who interviewed him, said Simon is "pro-life, but he's not advertising that very loudly. I would say he' s weakly pro-life." Does Simon use the language of exceptions? "He was still sort of making up his mind on that, which I didn't take to be too good a sign," said Neumayr. "I think he's taken the colorless mainstream pro-life Republican position."

Bill Jones' campaign office sent us the following statement by the candidate: "I am personally pro-life with the exception of cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. I realize there are several different viewpoints on this issue and I respect each and every position. The California Constitution explicitly protects a woman's right to an abortion and as Governor I will not change that -- nor could I."

Though his organization makes no endorsements, John Kurzweil, editor of the California Political Review, said he personally favors Simon. "My opinion of my vote is that it is a tool, and I like to use it to move in the right direction," said Kurzweil. "If somebody is not perfect, but they're the best of a bunch of bad choices, I'll go with that. Not only is Simon the best, he is pro-life. He also has a far better chance, I believe, than Jones to beat Riordan and win in the fall. I would support him, even if I didn't like him, if he could just accomplish that."


THE FEW, THE PROUD. In a bid to find a few good men, the California Jesuit Province has displayed on their website a series of photos showcasing the novices and priests. At their website, http://calprov.org/novice/default.htm, one can check-out the novices frolic in the surf, camp it up in drag, or use the crucifix as a comedic device. According to the website's homepage, the contents are presented "In order to provide you with a better idea of novitiate life and what it is we do here." In one picture, a novice holds a crucifix in one hand next to the caption, "Now if I only had a few cloves of garlic!" In another, a costume-party couple are identified as "Pretty Boy and Jabba the Slut." Another man, wearing a Marie Antoinette-ish mask, poses near the caption, "Lambada, anyone?" In 1996, John Bollard sued three California Jesuits for sexual harassment. After joining the Jesuits in 1988, Bollard left in 1996, citing harassment in the form of pornographic greeting cards and invitations to gay bars (San Francisco Faith, October 1997).

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