Senator John Moorlach recently sponsored SB 689 which provides local control over needle exchange programs. As you may recall, last year, a group received permission from state regulators to distribute thousands of syringes to drug users near Anaheim parks and schools and was later sued by our city to halt implementation.
While I support treatment options for residents suffering with drug addiction, my priority will always be to protect our neighborhoods, children and families from encountering discarded needles in parks and playgrounds. I believe local cities – not the state of California – should decide whether needle distribution programs are appropriate in our communities.
That’s why I was honored to join Sen. Moorlach and council colleagues from Orange and Costa Mesa, as well as District Attorney Todd Spitzer, at an event set up to talk about the bill. And at our meeting this past Tuesday, my colleagues and I passed a resolution expressing our support for the legislation as it moves through the committee process.
I hope you’ll join me in supporting Senator Moorlach’s good bill to give cities more control over the distribution of needles in our neighborhoods.
