Heartbroken Dad to Kick Off Father’s Day Weekend by Helping Others

Los Angeles resident Matt Capelouto and his daughter Alexandra, who died from fentanyl poisoning two days before Christmas in 2019 at the age of 20. Screenshot via YouTube/Matt Capelouto

A Temecula father of four is starting his Father’s Day weekend in front of California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office in Los Angeles, where he'll be rallying to prosecute fentanyl dealers on behalf of his late daughter and other victims of fentanyl poisoning.

Matt Capelouto has spent the past three years advocating to hold drug dealers accountable for selling fentanyl-laced substances following his daughter’s death from such in 2019.

His efforts culminated in a bipartisan California state bill known as “Alexandra’s Law”—named after Capelouto’s daughter—which would require warnings for dealers who knowingly distribute drugs containing fentanyl that result in someone’s death.

Matt Capelouto, the father of fentanyl poisoning victim Alexandra—the namesake of California Senate Bill 44—speaks at a press conference where California Assemblymembers, law enforcement officials, and local representatives propose to put stricter fentanyl enforcement on the upcoming 2024 ballot, in front of the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on June 6, 2023. Courtesy of Assembly Republican Caucus

The bill is modeled after the state’s so-called Watson Waiver admonishment given to drunk drivers—that if they’re caught driving intoxicated again and kill someone in the process, they'll face a second-degree murder charge instead of manslaughter.

However, since Alexandra’s Law was first introduced in 2020, it has repeatedly been shut down by state lawmakers on the grounds that it repeats failed drug policies that have led to mass incarceration, they say.

When the bill was up for a vote in late March, Democrat state Sens. Aisha Wahab, Steven Bradford, Nancy Skinner, and Scott Wiener all abstained from voting, causing the bill to fail since it needed majority support. The latter three senators also voted down Alexandra’s Law last year.

But Capelouto said he isn’t giving up.

“It’s not a matter of if [Alexandra’s Law will be passed], it’s when,” he told The Epoch Times.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a press conference in Sacramento, Calif., on June 28, 2022. Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

Subsequently, Capelouto will be protesting alongside other parents and advocates in front of Bonta’s office in downtown Los Angeles on June 16 in hopes of gaining his endorsement for Alexandra’s Law or similar legislation.

“As of now, [Bonta] hasn’t endorsed any legislation regarding fentanyl that holds dealers accountable,” he said.

Capelouto said his advocacy work has been buoyed by his wife, who’s battling terminal cancer.

Matt Capelouto with his wife. Courtesy of Matt Capelouto

“I couldn’t do any of [my advocacy] without her,” he said. “I turn to her for advice so much. ... She’s really the mastermind and brains behind what I’m doing.”

Capelouto is also the president of Drug Induced Homicide, a Michigan-based nonprofit that advocates for judicial reform and accountability for those who sell illicit drugs that result in death.

“My job is holding drug dealers accountable,” he said.

Matt Capelouto (center left) with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other supporters. Courtesy of Matt Capelouto