Loma Linda University Tops ‘Pork’ Funding List, Report Says

SACRAMENTO — A small, private university in San Bernardino County that specializes in high-tech medical research topped the national list for congressional “pork” appropriations, according to a magazine report.

Loma Linda University received $36 million in federal grants for fiscal year 1999-2000, the highest total in the country, according to a survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The survey, to be released today, also said that California colleges as a whole received a total of $64 million, the highest amount in the country.

The magazine said such “pork-barrel spending,” which Congress directs to specific colleges without competitive bidding, often depends on universities’ connections with members of powerful appropriations committees in Congress.

Loma Linda, which is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has a portrait of Rep. Jerry Lewis in the lobby of one of its research buildings. Lewis, a Republican whose district includes Loma Linda, is chairman of the defense-appropriations subcommittee.

“We take exception to the term ‘pork barrel,’ ” said W. Augustus Cheatham, spokesman for the 3,500-student university, which specializes in the health sciences.

“Mr. Lewis is our congressman and he has been very supportive of our research efforts and has taken note of the success and accountability that is clear in our track record with Congress,” he said.

The $36 million went for medical-related research, some of it using Loma Linda’s $100-million proton treatment radiation center. That 10-year-old center was financed with $20 million in federal funds and the rest from private institutions or donations, Cheatham said.

Lewis’ press secretary, Jim Specht, did not respond to a request for comment on the article.