Activists criticize Los Angeles County HIV Commission retreat

AIDS activists are "infuriated" that the Los Angeles County HIV Commission held a $25,000 retreat November 14-16 at a waterfront hotel in Redondo Beach, Calif., just two days after county supervisors cut $400,000 in funding for sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment in the county, The [Torrance, Calif.] Daily Breeze reports. The retreat sends the wrong message to people living with HIV/AIDS in the county, activists say.

"They're telling people that clinics for people with HIV may be cut back, but then they're sending a bloated commission...to a hotel," said Miki Jackson, a consultant for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Commissioner Genevieve Clavreul also criticized the cost of the retreat and said she plans to reimburse the county for her hotel accommodations and meals. "I'm appalled," she said. "We could have spent that $25,000 on care, care for which the county would not have to pay."