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TO: California Treatment Advocacy Coalition
FROM: Carla Jacobs & Randall Hagar
DATE: June 1, 2000
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Late last night, AB1800 went through the Assembly, and went through it well.

Despite the late hour and being inundated with bills stacked up in the face of Friday’s legislative deadline, the full Assembly devoted over half an hour to AB 1800—as much time as any legislation received all day.

We thought the balance of the arguments favored LPS reform and AB1800. We were right.

AB1800 passed 53-16, with 11 members not voting.

That means 77% of those who voted voted for rational treatment laws and 2/3’s of the total Assembly supported our bill.

Many of those voting for AB1800 did so because of your efforts. During our visits at the Capitol, more than a few legislative staff showed the many pro-AB1800 letters they had received. These letters made all the difference. You made all the difference.

Thank you.

Please write one last letter for the Assembly. If your representative was in favor of our bill, thank and congratulate him or her. If not, thank your Assemblyman for listening to you and for keeping an open mind. Although we hope it never happens, we could one day need every Assembly vote we can get to override a veto from the Governor.

We should all feel a little proud.

But remember that we won’t have really helped anyone mired in mental illness until AB1800 has the Governor’s ink on the signature line. And the next step will be the hardest of all--the Senate will be much tougher than the Assembly was.

So enjoy the afterglow of this victory, but then please write or set up an appointment to see your Senator.

There are only 40 Senators. Few enough that we can reach each one with multiple CTAC members who are also constituents.

Enjoy the vote tally below.

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FLOOR ASSEMBLY VOTE ON AB1800 (May 31, 2000)

AYES: 53

Aanestad, Ackerman, Ashburn, Bates, Battin, Campbell, Cardenas, Cardoza, Cedillo, Correa, Cox, Davis, Dickerson, Dutra, Firebaugh, Florez, Granlund, Havice, Honda, House, Jackson, Kaloogian, Knox, Kuehl, Lempert, Leonard, Longville, Machado, Maddox, Maldonado, Margett, Mazzoni, McClintock, Nakano, Oller, Papan, Reyes, Runner, Scott, Shelley, Strickland, Strom-Martin, Thompson, Thomson, Vincent, Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wildman, Wright, Zettel, Speaker Hertzberg.

NOES: 16

Alquist, Aroner, Bock, Corbett , Gellegos, Keeley, Leach, Lowenthal, Migden, Olberg, Pacheco (Robert). Pacheco (Rod), Pescetti, Romero, Steinberg, Washington.

ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING: 11

Baldwin, Baugh, Brewer, Briggs, Calderon, Ducheny, Floyd, Frusetta, Torlakson, Villaraigosa, Vacancy.