Garden Grove : AIDS Seminar Called Off; Politics Blamed

Garden Grove Fire Chief Lon Cahill canceled a seminar on AIDS scheduled at City Hall last week out of fear that firefighters and police officers might put a political “spin” on the program.

The free seminar--planned for several months--was sponsored by the city and its police and firefighters associations. It was aimed at city employees, their families and friends.

Representatives from the Fire and Police departments claimed that the cancellation came after city officials misconstrued the nature of the program. The program would not have been political, they argued, because candidates were not invited and would not have been introduced, they said. The police and fire associations have been politically active and have endorsed a slate of city candidates in the Nov. 3 elections.

Police Sgt. Randy Tucker said he “flamed” when he heard about the cancellation, about five hours before the program was to start--at 7 p.m. last Wednesday at the Community Meeting Center.

“We deal with AIDS situations, and we need to know about it,” Tucker said. “We arrest people who are HIV positive and have full-blown AIDS.”

However, Councilman J. Tilman Williams, who is a candidate for mayor but isn’t endorsed by the firefighters and police officer groups, said he received a telephone call from someone who said that the seminar might turn into a political event.

Though he said he discounted the possibility, Williams took the information to City Manager George Tindall, but didn’t ask that the program be canceled, he said.

Tindall said he discussed his concern with Fire Chief Cahill and told him that city employees must not get involved, or give the appearance of getting involved, in political affairs while on duty or wearing badges or uniforms. Tindall said it was Cahill who then canceled the program.

Cahill couldn’t be reached for comment.

The seminar was to feature a lecture by Tony Marshall, a former senior health educator with the San Diego County Department of Health Services. He has spoken on AIDS to more than 5,000 groups. Marshall will be rescheduled, Tindall said.