Sample letters to legislators and editors

Addresses can be found at www.assembly.ca.gov and www.senate.ca.gov. It is best to fax letters to the legislators - a word of advice, they almost never read their mail so the best way to be heard is to write to editors of newspapers and magazines and post in the news forums using their names. They always know what is in the public news media.

Dear Assembly Members:

As a California taxpayer and voter, I wholeheartedly support AB 1539, the Medical Release and Fiscal Savings Bill. This bill will facilitate the medical release of terminally ill prisoners already required by Penal Code Section 1170, but not being carried out due to procedural deficiencies and delays. It will also allow the medical release of the permanently medically incapacitated. Neither of these groups poses any risk to public safety and constitutionally should be released in a humane and timely manner.

Currently, prisoners who qualify for medical release, and their families, painfully endure an ill-defined and lengthy process that often ends only with the inmate’s death in prison. AB 1539 would specify and streamline proper legal procedures to ensure timely medical releases of those whom a prison doctor, the prison’s chief medical officer, the Board of Prison Terms, and the warden all concur deserve an opportunity for a court to recall his or her sentence and issue a medical release order to Corrections.

AB 1539 can remedy the unlawful and inhumane practice of keeping the terminally ill and the permanently medically incapacitated in prison until they die, and it will save hundreds of thousands of Corrections’ dollars, which could be more effectively used toward the Governor’s renewed rehabilitation goals, which certainly will need more funding than allocated so far. Passing AB 1539 will also help to free up much-needed prison space for rehabilitation classrooms.

I sincerely hope that you will carefully consider these benefits of passing AB 1539 to amend PC 1170 so that it reflects its full intent and disencumbers the currently ineffective legal process of sentence recall and medical release.

Very truly yours,

Your signature - reword it into your own words

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One of our great UNION members Barb Christie has prepared some of the talking points of AB 1539, please send me copies of your letters to editors Faxes and calls should be done in addition to SHOWING UP TO THIS ONE and SENDING PEOPLE.

Here is a sample letter to the editor which you should rewrite into your own words and post widely at the news sites today

Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 4:13 PM
Subject: Letter to the Editor/AB 1539 Makes Public and Fiscal Sense

Dear editor:

AB 1539, the Medical Release and Fiscal Savings Bill coming before the Appropriations Committee on May 9, would provide needed procedures for the medical release of terminally ill prisoners required by Penal Code Section 1170 but not being accomplished primarily due to procedural delays. It would also allow the medical release of the permanently incapacitated. Neither of these groups poses any risk to public safety whatsoever.

Currently prisoners who qualify for medical release and their families endure a slow and frustrating process that often ends with the prisoner’s death in prison. AB 1539 would prevent these inhumane procedural delays and the unwarranted suffering of families.

AB 1539 would save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by eliminating the expensive health care of the terminally ill and permanently incapacitated. Funds saved could be more effectively used toward crime prevention, education, and rehabilitation. It would also help to free up needed prison beds.

Your signature - rewrite into your own words