At Long Last, Mayor Meets Governor

SACRAMENTO —  After months of trying, the mayor of California’s second-largest city finally got in to see the governor.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor, accompanied by San Diego Councilwoman Gloria McColl and Police Chief Bob Burgreen, met with Gov. George Deukmejian on Tuesday for about 50 minutes to ask for state money to help battle drug-related crime and build more jails.

Deukmejian promised to look into it, they said.

“The governor was very thoughtful,” O’Connor said after the meeting at the Capitol. “We had ample opportunity to express the problems we’re facing in San Diego. I was very impressed with his ability to listen, (the) comprehensive nature of everything we were allowed to say in the meeting, and we left with hope.”

But O’Connor sidestepped questions on whether she apologized to the governor for reportedly angering him by the way she called for the meeting nearly four months ago in a press conference.

“I am very pleased about the outcome of the meeting. Thank you,” she said in response to questions about an apology.

‘State of Emergency’ Declared

In May, O’Connor convened a press conference to declare a “state of emergency” in San Diego because of gang- and drug-related violence on city streets. She publicly called for a meeting with Deukmejian to ask that San Diego receive $34 million from the state’s $2.5-billion surplus to help build courtrooms and jails, as well as finance community programs.

O’Connor put out the call before her staff had officially notified Deukmejian’s office, a move that Republican insiders have told The Times angered the governor, who prefers to deal with such requests privately.

They said his pique, along with Republican complaints that O’Connor herself often shuns meetings with prominent businessmen, prompted Deukmejian to string O’Connor along on a date for the meeting. The mayor was forced to put her request in writing and offered to meet him anywhere.

Meanwhile, Deukmejian has attended many other public events, including receptions, speeches and his college reunion in New York. On Aug. 30, for instance, he and his wife, Gloria, were hosts to the Capitol press corps for a sit-down Mexican dinner in their back yard.

Finally, Deukmejian agreed to see O’Connor on Tuesday, and the mayor flew up to Sacramento to plead her case for the money.

Burgreen said he emphasized to Deukmejian how San Diego is suffering from severe crime problems.

“I told him about our crime problems, how we’re adjacent to the border, how the flow of drugs is coming into San Diego, how we have the most overcrowded jail system in the country and we are attempting to battle both of those problems with limited resources,” the chief said.

Burgreen said Deukmejian listened “very intently,” but also specifically pointed out that other cities--Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco--are facing the same problems.

But the governor “acknowledged that we are somewhat unique” and said he would direct his staff to hold further meetings with San Diego officials, O’Connor and Burgreen said.