Copyright 1999 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles
Times
October 15, 1999, Friday, Home Edition
SECTION: Part A; Page 3; Metro Desk
LENGTH: 341 words
HEADLINE:
CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST;
BRADLEY TAKES HEALTH CARE
MESSAGE TO LATINOS;
POLITICS: PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS HIS PLAN TO
INSURE CHILDREN AND WORKING POOR IS MORE AMBITIOUS THAN GORE'S.
BYLINE: MIGUEL BUSTILLO, TIMES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SANTA ANA
BODY:
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley appealed to California Latino
voters Thursday by highlighting a key difference between his and rival Al Gore's
plans to provide health care for America's poor.
Bradley said his sweeping $ 65-billion proposal--compared to Gore's more
modest version--would particularly benefit Latinos, who make up a
disproportionate share of uninsured Americans. Nearly 40% of
Latinos in California lack insurance, he said, compared with about 16% of
Americans overall. "When it comes to America's health, this is not a time to be
timid," Bradley told an audience of about 75 medical professionals at the Latino
Health Access clinic in Santa Ana. "This country has a long and proud history of
doing what is right, of doing the big things well--even when they seemed
unachievable."
Bradley's health care proposal, announced last month, is
designed to reach almost all of the 44 million Americans without insurance. His
plan would guarantee care for every American child and provide subsidized care
for working poor adults.
Gore's version seeks a more limited expansion
of services to the same groups.
Bradley's visit to Santa Ana, a growing
Democratic stronghold in traditionally Republican Orange County, was his sole
public event of a two-day trip through California. And despite a series of
recent attacks by Gore, Bradley continued on the high road Thursday by avoiding
any direct response or any mention of his rival's name.
The heightened
competition in the Democratic contest has raised the stakes for both candidates
in California. Gore has a significant lead in the latest state polls and the
endorsements of many key Democrats, including Gov. Gray Davis.
On
Thursday, Bradley won the backing of state Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Daly City), who
traveled to Orange County from her San Francisco-area district to introduce the
former NBA star and offer her praise for an "American hero."
"I was
impressed with his health care proposal," Speier said. "I am not interested in
incrementalism."
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: (Orange County
Edition, A3) Bill Bradley talks Thursday with people at the Latino Health Access
clinic in Santa Ana after speaking about his plan for care for the poor.
PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT LACHMAN / Los Angeles Times PHOTO: (Orange County Edition,
B1) Bradley Makes His Case: Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley
appealed to Latino voters in Santa Ana by highlighting a key difference between
his and Al Gore's plans for health care.
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October 15, 1999 
