Published: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 11:05:21 EST
Recent weeks have brought mixed results for drug policy reform legislation in California, as Governor Schwarzenegger sent contradictory messages on his commitment to public health and fiscal responsibility by signing some bills supported or sponsored by the Alliance, but vetoing others.
The governor signed an important public health bill, AB 296 (Negrete-McLeod) that will require prisons, where a large number of hepatitis C cases originate, to give information and voluntary screening to prisoners upon intake. He also – with the encouragement of letters from over 830 Alliance activists – signed AB 547 (Berg), a bill to cut bureaucratic red tape for local syringe access programs.
Under current California law, cities or counties may authorize needle exchange programs pursuant to a declared public health emergency. However, the declarations of emergency must be renewed by vote every 14 to 21 days. Thanks to AB 547, as of the first day of 2006, local governments will have to hold hearings only once a year before reauthorizing the programs.
These are both positive steps, but the governor has not shown himself to be a consistent champion of reducing harm and improving public health in California.
One important bill Schwarzenegger vetoed was syringe access bill AB 1597 (Laird), which would have allowed local governments to use existing state HIV prevention funds on syringe access programs. By vetoing this bill while signing AB 547, he essentially told local governments they may choose whether to have syringe exchange programs, but cannot have full control of their HIV prevention funds.
Schwarzenegger also vetoed AB 855 (Bass), which would have helped people with past drug convictions reintegrate into society by making them eligible for welfare. An analysis of the bill by the nonpartisan Little Hoover Commission estimated that AB 855 would have saved California taxpayers more than $700,000 annually due to lower parole returns and re-arrests.
The governor cited as one of the reasons for his veto the bill’s lack of a mandatory drug testing provision – a stance the Alliance interprets as an attempt to appease some of the more extreme elements of his party.
“He’s a typical half-a-loaf politician – takes one step to the left and then one to the right trying to please everyone,” said Glenn Backes, the Alliance’s director of health policy. “Tragically, this type of political dance means death and suffering for California families.”
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