SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An exasperated Matt Capeluoto found himself in an all-too-familiar situation: pleading for lawmakers to increase penalties for drug dealers who sell fentanyl.
Fentanyl deaths have risen over the last few years. Overdose deaths have now become the leading cause of death for people ages 18 to 45.
Capeluoto lost his daughter Alexandra four years ago after she bought a pill that was laced with fentanyl on Snapchat.
Since Alexandra’s death, the grieving father has been campaigning to enact laws that will hold dealers of the deadly drug accountable while protecting families from having to go through what he experienced.
Capeluoto has made a lot of sacrifices to make countless trips from Temecula to Sacramento to lobby for action on fentanyl. He’s given up a lot of time and money, speaking at press conference after press conference, meeting with legislator after legislator and still feels like no progress has been made.
“I’m tired of being tired…this isn’t easy, and it’s not easy for so many of the parents to come out here and keep doing this and keep doing this,” Capeluoto said. “But we fight for our children.”
This year, he has been advocating for the state to create legislation that will issue a warning to those who are arrested on drug charges they could be charged with murder if the drugs they sell lead to someone’s death.
The bill, named Alexandra’s Law in honor of Capeluoto’s daughter, has failed to make it out of the state Legislature. Similar versions of the bill died in the Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees.
“Our state Legislature has failed us. Just look at the number of victims that keeps growing and growing and growing,” Capeluoto noted.
Capeluoto is not alone. Hundreds of other parents who’ve lost loved ones to fentanyl have had enough with what they feel has been a lack of action on fentanyl.
After being repeatedly shut down by the state Legislature, the coalition of parents is now leading an effort to get Alexandra’s Law on the November 2024 ballot.
“Enough is enough. How many more people have to die before we do something about this?” Capeluoto asked.
The parents have formed a “Stop Fentanyl Dealers” coalition and on Tuesday officially filed a proposal with the Attorney General’s office to get Alexandra’s Law on the ballot.
The proposed ballot measure will not only mandate a warning for potential murder charges for dealers, but would also give district attorneys more resources to charge those arrested for dealing fentanyl by adding a new 10 to 12-year sentence if someone dies as a result of them selling the drug.
Among the supporters at the amendment filing was Sonovah Hillman Jr., the 11-year-old daughter of the late rapper DMX.
“It’s important for me to be here because like all of these people I’ve lost a loved one to drugs and I feel like nobody is really talking about it so I decided it would be a good idea to start doing things about it,” Sonovah said.
A couple hours after the filing ceremony, Assembly Republicans tried one more time to force a vote to pass ACA 12, which would have put Alexandra’s law on the ballot, but were voted down.
Assembly member Isaac Bryan, who is a member of the public safety committee, pointed to all the bills passed this year that address the fentanyl crisis.
“This body has passed more legislation related to fentanyl than legislative body in California’s history,” said Bryan during the floor session.
Bryan and many of his Democrat colleagues feel increasing punishments for drug dealers does little to address the root causes of overdose deaths and only lead to mass incarceration. He also criticized Republicans trying to force a vote on the measure.
The legislature has passed several bills to make Narcan more available throughout the state. They have also passed laws to better educate people on the dangers of fentanyl, however; they have been less willing to increase penalties for dealers.
The only bill advancing through the legislature that raises penalties for selling fentanyl is Assembly bill 701, authored by Carlos Villapudua. This bill would raise potential prison sentences for those who possess at least one kilogram of illicit substances.
“… [AB 701] increases criminal penalties for those who are carrying very large amounts of fentanyl around and those bills need to get to the governor. Those bills need to get signed. That’s something that can be bipartisan — today’s procedural thing was not,” Bryan said.
The parents leading the ballot proposition were upset by the legislature’s decision, though it’s a feeling they have become accustomed to and will now shift their efforts to fundraising to have the voters decide on Alexandra’s Law.
“I simply can’t put into words what we do to keep going, but we just keep going,” Capeluoto said. “We know our kids aren’t coming back and it’s about saving the lives of others, and there’s nothing greater that motivates me than that.”
One of the next steps for the Stop Fentanyl Dealers coalition to focus on will be to gather over 500,000 signatures to get Alexandra’s Law on the November 2024 ballot.
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