 | Historic Victory for Drug Sentencing Reform! Senate Bill 649 passes Assembly |
On September 4, 2013 you helped make history. The California Assembly passed Senate Bill 649, which gives local prosecutors the option to charge simple possession of drugs for personal use as a misdemeanor instead of as a felony. The bill was authored by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and co-sponsored by the Friends Committee on Legislation of California, the American Civil Liberties Union of California, National Council of La Raza, California State NAACP, California Public Defenders Association, Californians for Safety and Justice, Drug Policy Alliance, and the William C. Velásquez Institute.
Lobbyists in support of the bill, like FCLCA's Jim Lindburg, were still visiting assemblymembers' offices right down to the final vote to make sure we would have enough votes - and we did, passing with a vote of 41-31.
Activists like you played a big role in winning the passage of SB 649 - over 2,000 activists through FCLCA alone signed petitions, sent messages through our Action Alert system and called their legislators when things got down to the wire. Thank you!!
We will stay in touch through our Action Network (sign up here) and let you know when it's the best time to contact the governor to say "Gov. Brown, please sign SB 649 into law!"
P.S. We're starting our fall campaign to raise money for our lobbying program at the Capitol, which costs about $326 per day the Legislature is in session. We would appreciate your contribution in any amount. Just click here. Thank you.
