Santa Monica : AIDS Initiative Denounced

The City Council has denounced a state initiative on the November ballot backed by followers of political extremist Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. that would pressure health officials to quarantine AIDS victims and carriers of the virus that causes the disease.

The measure would redefine acquired immune deficiency syndrome as an infectious disease, which would allow state and county health officials to use their quarantine powers to bar victims and carriers of the disease from working in certain fields, such as education and food handling.

The city’s resolution, which was initiated by Councilmen Alan Katz and Dennis Zane, also directs the mayor to write to other local governments, informing them of Santa Monica’s stance and urging them to take a similar position.

Although most scientists contend that AIDS cannot be spread through the air or casual contact, backers of the AIDS initiative gathered more than the 443,219 signatures required to put the proposal on the November ballot.