There wasn’t a dry eye at the Birch North Park Theatre last Saturday, at FilmOut San Diego’s premiere of Pedro. The film is based on the life of Pedro Zamora, from MTV’s “Real World: San Francisco,” who died of AIDS in 1994.

At the time of Zamora’s death, then President Bill Clinton credited him with giving a face to the disease, and during the cast discussion that followed Saturday’s viewing, Director Nick Oceano said, “Pedro Zamora may have lived a short life, but he lived an epic one.”

Today, we face an epic challenge, one that we believe Zamora would not shy from.

As the recession continues, people who have lost their jobs and private health insurance, are turning to public and nonprofit clinics. “Recession patients,” are responsible for a 12 percent increase this year in HIV clinics’ overall patient visits. Many patients come in after going months without medical attention. Yet the grim reality is that in the fight for marriage equality, HIV services in California are on the chopping block. This is something we cannot stand by and let the “governator” terminate!

Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed a $55.5 million cut for health care programs for Californians living with HIV/AIDS for 2009-10, and a further $58.9 million cut for 2010-11. Additionally, he has proposed cutting $24.6 million in HIV prevention and education services.

These proposed cuts will limit the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and eliminate many HIV counseling and testing programs, epidemiological studies and surveillance, the Therapeutic Monitoring Program and home- and community-based care programs.

ADAP provides HIV treatment for nearly 35,000 Californians. Without this funding, these patients will not have medication. They will die. Make no mistake. Must we remind you of the days before the “cocktail”? This is, literally, a matter of life and death.

A full 20 percent of HIV-positive Californians are unaware of their HIV status. Cutting testing and surveillance programs will put hundreds of thousands of Californians at risk.

In a study released last month by the County of San Diego, 10 percent of all Californians living with HIV reside in San Diego. We are the third largest population after Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Unlike Los Angeles and San Francisco, however, San Diego does not receive funds from the Center for Disease Control. This makes our city even more vulnerable to the governor’s proposed cuts, than it already is.

We’re already compromised.

For example, in fiscal year of 2008-09, the County of San Diego received $1.6 million in HIV Education and Prevention funds from the California Department of Public Health. In 2000, we received nearly twice that.

In fiscal year 2007-08, 5,512 outreach contacts were conducted and 470 individuals participated in groups, 866 individuals received short-term risk counseling, 259 individuals received comprehensive risk counseling and 2,863 individuals received presentations or educational information and materials at health fairs and detention facilities.

Annually, medical costs associated with those living with HIV is about $180,000 per patient and lost productivity is about $750,000. An estimated lifetime cost from a County of San Diego 2006 report, the last year the data was collected, was $620,000.

To say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is an understatement. Prevention services save lives and money. They protect personal and public health. Schwarzenegger’s budget cuts are unconscionable.

Zamora lobbied for his appearance on “The Real World: San Francisco.” He was already out about his status, crisscrossing the country to speak to school groups and public health organizations. But he believed, and rightfully so, that his presence on “The Real World: San Francisco” would bring more education to more people than he could achieve.

He was spot on. Zamora was not to be underestimated in his determination to bring light to an issue that was then – and is now – being pushed to the side. Suddenly, everyone “knew” someone with HIV. They had a face to put with the disease. That face was gentle and kind. It was loving and giving.

Today there is no one face for HIV/AIDS. It crosses all genders, sexes, racial, ethnic, age and sexual orientation lines. It is truly one of the greatest public health issues our nation – and the world – faces.

Cutting funding is not the answer. So what can we do?

In recent months we’ve seen our community unite over for our right to marry. It’s time to unite for our right to live!

Citizens statewide will rally on the grounds of the State Capital in Sacramento next Wednesday. We know it’s a long way from here to Sacramento. But the road without funding is far longer.

San Diegans are mobilizing to protest the state budget cuts locally on Wednesday, June 10, from 3 to 5 p.m. in front of the State of California Office Building located at 1350 Front St. between A & Ash streets in Downtown San Diego.

If you can’t make it there, call or write your Assembly and Senate representatives. A list of your representatives can be found at www.ca.gov.