Ironic Cuts

February 10, 2005

Dear Editor,

It is ironic that Supervisor Gloria Molina [County Supervisor Vows to Cut Tax Funds, February 2, 2005 ] seeks to rescind the $25,000 grant from First 5 LA to the Westside Pregnancy Resource Center , just because the center refuses to include abortion in its prenatal services. It is ironic because the tax money from Proposition 10 from the State to the County is based upon the number of total births in the county for the preceding year.

Proposition 10, passed in 1998, enacted the California Children and Families Act of 1998. The Act increased the tobacco excise tax for the stated purposes of reducing tobacco use, particularly among teenagers, and funding early child development.

The tax revenue is funneled from the State to county commissions for expenditure on services for children under the age of five (that is, if they are not first aborted.) Each fiscal year, county commissions receive their portion of the total moneys available from the State “equal to the percentage of the number of births recorded in the relevant county.” (Health and Safety Section 130140(b).)

So why should the Westside Pregnancy Center be punished for not encouraging a prenatal procedure which actually reduces the amount of funds given to the County? It is further ironic that NARAL and Planned Parenthood (who, by the way, does not receive First 5 LA funds) are now petitioning the County to rescind the grant to the Westside Pregnancy Resource Center .

The Act establishes a statewide “system of information and services to enhance optimal early childhood development and to ensure that children are ready to enter school” (Health & Safety Code section 130100(a), not encourage abortion. Moreover, the State has adopted guidelines to implement “early childhood development programs.”

Each county commission, in this case, First 5 LA, is authorized to employ personnel, enter into contracts and own real property. But most notably, each county commission is authorized to “sue or be sued.” (Health and Safety Code section 130140.1(b)(2).)

Very truly yours,

Stephen Shepard

Attorney at Law

Huntington Beach , CA