THE BUZZ — Time is running out for California lawmakers to send bills to the governor’s desk. But one thing is almost certain — Republicans won’t get the fentanyl policies they want. The wave of deaths from the synthetic opioid has gripped California in the last few years — and been one of the biggest sources of consternation this session. Parents have packed committee rooms. Heated words have been exchanged across the dais. Bills have been voted down, then revived, then voted down again. And despite what was, at some points, a bipartisan effort, legislation to install tougher sentencing laws has largely failed to gain purchase in a Legislature dominated by Democrats. Republicans in the Assembly made a last-ditch effort Tuesday to revive a high-profile bill known as Alexandra’s Law, which would require courts to issue a warning to convicted fentanyl dealers that they could face murder charges if they deal again and someone dies. It was initially championed by Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg, who saw it struck down twice in the Senate’s public safety committee. Progressives on the committee balked at the idea of increasing penalties for drug crimes, raising concerns about repeating the policies that led to mass incarceration. Then, Republican Assemblymember Diane Dixon sought to get it passed as a constitutional amendment. Assembly Democrats, unsurprisingly, didn’t play ball. With little fuss or fanfare, the body on Tuesday struck down a motion by Republican Heath Flora to bring Dixon’s bill to the floor. "We have victims here, and families of victims. They want change," Dixon told reporters afterward. "They want laws on the books that will make dealers accountable. Why is that so difficult?" Democrats are quick to point out everything the state has done to combat the fentanyl crisis. The focus of this session has largely been on prevention, education and response. Gov. Gavin Newsom has earmarked tens of millions of dollars in this year’s budget for the manufacturing and distribution of the overdose antidote Naloxone, and a bill by Sen. Anthony Portantino to require the medication in schools and other public locations is still in play. We should also note that over the summer Newsom deployed another batch of CHP officers to the streets of San Francisco to crack down on fentanyl. And Democratic Assemblymembers Carlos Villapudua and Cottie Petrie-Norris are carrying a bill to increase penalties for possessing certain quantities of fentanyl (though Republicans have criticized it for only targeting high-level dealers). Don’t expect this issue to go away anytime soon — advocates on Tuesday also filed language for a ballot initiative, similar to Alexandra’s Law, with the hopes of putting it on the November 2024 ballot. When asked Tuesday how they plan to qualify the measure (a process that can easily creep into the eight figure range), Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli said, “We don't need money. We have people, we have families, up and down the state who are going to be working on this."
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