Pressure from the public following a press conference in Sacramento earlier this month protesting the Assembly Public Safety Committee’s shelving of a series of bipartisan fentanyl bills has led the committee to reconsider its decisions, with a special hearing now scheduled for April 27.
“I was so incredibly happy and relieved,” Pamela Smith, mother of 27-year-old fentanyl overdose victim Jackson Smith, told The Epoch Times upon hearing the news. “I believe that exposure to the committee’s behavior, that came to light [at our] press conference, brought such attention and pressure on the Assembly they are finally going to work with us and stop their stall tactics.”
At issue are propositions by several assemblymembers and senators addressing the fentanyl issue with a variety of approaches.
Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield) introduced Assembly Bill 33, which would establish a fentanyl addiction and overdose task force.
Assembly Bill 367, led by Assemblyman Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego), targets fentanyl dealers by adding sentencing enhancements to those who cause injury or death distributing the drug.
In efforts to stem violent crime, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria’s (D-Fresno) Assembly Bill 675 would prohibit those in possession of fentanyl from carrying firearms.
With investigations revealing that many young fentanyl overdose victims purchased the drug that killed them via social media, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) led the introduction of Assembly Bill 955, increasing penalties for fentanyl dealers who distribute on social media.
Assemblymember Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) authored Assembly Bill 1058, specifically targeting fentanyl dealers by increasing penalties for possession of more than 28.35 grams of the drug.
A request for comment from Jones-Sawyer was not returned on deadline.
Assembly Republicans signaled their intent to demand a vote on the bills on April 20, to “[force] lawmakers to pick a side between protecting Californians from fentanyl poisoning or protecting drug dealers who profit off the overdose epidemic,” according to a caucus press release April 19.
Patterson, the assemblymember from Fresno, said he was equally pleased at the turn of events.
“The voice of the people, the heart and soul of the people, got through this building and to the hearts of those that wanted to obstruct, and we’re going to have a hearing,” Patterson said in a video statement released April 20. “I have been in this assembly for 10 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Patterson additionally thanked Californians for responding to the pleas from victims’ families and voicing their concerns.
“The voice of the people broke through the obstruction and bias against holding fentanyl drug dealers accountable,” he said.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death nationwide for ages 18–45, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The drug is responsible for approximately 500 deaths every month in California, based on the most recent data released by the California Department of Public Health.
“I am thankful the hearts and minds of the highest levels of leadership in this assembly saw the light, and we’re going to have the light turned on in that hearing room, and we’re going to hear and see the death toll and the heartbreak, and we’re going to do something about it,” Patterson said.
