"This is a governor who had the opportunity to save lives, and he chose not to do it," said Berg, D-Eureka.

Assembly Bill 2871 would have eliminated a state law that requires counties to declare a health emergency every two weeks in order to operate a needle exchange program – an administrative burden that has prevented as many as nine counties from operating exchange programs.

In his veto message, the governor said the measure failed to provide adequate local control over needle-exchange programs. Berg disputed that conclusion.

"Local control is front and center in all of this," said Berg. "Needle-exchange programs are overseen by public health officials and local elected officials. He just missed the mark on this."

In California, more than 1,800 people die of AIDS every year, and 1,500 new infections occur through syringe sharing among intravenous drug users. Another 5,000 people become infected with Hepatitis C in the same manner.

Needle exchange programs protect more than just drug users, according to the health officials who support the bill. They protect the men and women who unknowingly expose themselves to this risk during sex. Preventing infections also protects the children born to these unions.

The following 14 cities and counties currently operate needle-exchange programs: the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma and Ventura, and the cities of Berkeley and Los Angeles.

Health officers from Butte, Inyo, Riverside, Sacramento, Siskyou, Solano and Yolo counties have expressed interest in operating exchange programs if the Berg bill becomes law.

Injection drug users are the second-largest group at risk of HIV infection, and are the primary source of heterosexual, female and perinatal transmission.