Rural Drug Problems

The Times article on the impact of narcotics trafficking in Oroville (front page, Sept. 9) made crystal-clear the need for increased attention to the drug problem in rural areas. There is an especially acute need in Northern California for increased resources for the seizure and dismantling of clandestine methamphetamine labs.

Clearly Butte County, which is in the heart of my congressional district, faces severe budgetary constraints, which limit its abilities to respond fully to this great challenge. While the article traces the majority of the budget difficulties to the passage of Proposition 13, I believe there is an alternative cause that was overlooked, namely, unfunded programs mandated by the federal and state governments on counties and localities. These unfunded mandates, costing local governments more than $200 billion each year, overwhelm the ability of Butte and other rural counties to respond to such challenges as illegal drugs.

REP. WALLY HERGER, Yuba City