Golding Agenda for County Proposes Drugs Court, Saving Open Space

Setting an ambitious agenda for her year as chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Susan Golding on Wednesday proposed creation of a special “drugs court” and a $250-million bond to protect open space.

Calling for a “return to the pioneering spirit that made San Diego County what it is today,” Golding--who last month became the second woman in the county’s 138-year history named to chair the board, a position rotated annually among the five members--used her State of the County address to launch a wide range of policy initiatives.

In addition to her special drugs court and open-space proposals, Golding outlined specific plans to address problems as disparate as AIDS, child abuse, the greenhouse effect and auto theft, and urged establishment of a public-private panel to chart the region’s future.

Faith in Individuals

Providing a philosophical backdrop for those ideas, Golding, throughout her 20-minute speech, frequently exhorted her colleagues and local citizens to have faith in individuals’ power to tackle complex local and even global problems.

“Global problems do at times seem insoluble,” Golding told a shivering crowd of about 200 who listened to the speech in cool, breezy weather outside the County Administration Center. “They are too big, too complex, too difficult. We shrug our shoulders and say, ‘What can one person do?’ But, in reality, they are frequently nothing more than local problems, lumped together.”

Urging local residents to “remember the power we hold in our hands,” Golding demonstrated her conviction in the efficacy of individual action by challenging county residents to plant at least 1 million trees in the next two years as a means of slowing the greenhouse effect. Golding said she will ask the board to label that program Operation ReLeaf.

‘A Simple Step’

“Planting a tree is a simple step that we can each take to do our share to stop the damage to our atmosphere,” Golding said.

To help promote environmental protection throughout the region, Golding, in conjunction with San Diego City Councilman Ron Roberts and La Mesa Mayor Fred Nagel, also proposed a $250-million bond to be used to purchase open space and to help cities improve park and recreation facilities.

Under her proposed San Diego County Regional Parks, Wildlife and Open Space Bond Act of 1990, funds would be available to the county and incorporated cities to purchase environmentally sensitive and historically significant lands, and to expand or rehabilitate existing parks and open space. Each community would have authority to decide how the funds would be spent in that particular area.

Two-Thirds Vote

Assuming that the bond proposal eventually is put before voters countywide, it would require a two-thirds vote for approval.

“I’m under no illusion. . . . It’s a tough thing to do,” Golding said after her speech. “But if there’s one thing San Diegans want, it’s this--they want to preserve the environment, and they want park lands and open space. There’s only one way to preserve major tracts of open space, and that’s to purchase them.”

Turning to other pressing local issues, Golding called for stiffer punishment of persons convicted of drug-related offenses. Noting that the county’s overburdened court system all but preordains plea bargains in many drug cases, Golding said she has asked local judges to create a special court where only cases involving the sale and possession of illegal drugs would be heard.

Favorably Received

That idea, Golding said, has been received favorably by Superior Court Presiding Judge Michael Greer, but its execution may await the filling of 18 vacant local judgeships by Gov. George Deukmejian. Golding also called on the judges to strictly enforce tougher new statewide penalties for auto theft, arguing that those thefts--30,000 of which occurred in San Diego County last year--are closely linked to drug crimes.

On other topics, Golding:

- Recommended creation of a countywide task force, called “San Diego: Vision 2020,” to provide “a clear view to the future” through studies of the region’s anticipated 21st Century needs in areas ranging from the economy and education to transportation and culture. Members would include public officials, business and civic leaders, as well as the heads of educational, cultural and religious institutions.

- Proposed formation of a committee consisting of public and private health officials to “find a better way to meet the AIDS challenge.” The panel would include representatives of the San Diego County Medical Society, the Council of Community Clinics, UC San Diego’s Owen Clinic, the Hospital Council and the county Health Department.

- Said she plans to ask the Board of Supervisors to sponsor state legislation providing foster parents with full reimbursement of their expenses, a proposal that she argued could reduce child abuse by enhancing efforts to recruit foster parents.

- Requested review of all county policies affecting water usage to promote water conservation and reclamation. Pointing out that San Diego imports about 90% of its water, and is “at the end of the pipeline,” Golding argued for policies mandating the use of reclaimed, non-potable water for purposes such as irrigation.