Bill helps prison addicts

Local lawmakers wrapped up 2007 with legislation including the reform of prison drug and alcohol rehabilitation, improved access to dental care and the elimination of loopholes in family estate planning law.

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore said one of his greatest achievements was co-writing legislation that will expand prison drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

DeVore, one of the Assembly’s most conservative legislators, partnered with one of the most liberal, Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton), chairman of the California Legislative Black Caucus, to author Assembly Bill 716, which expands drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs in state prisons by 4,000 beds. The bill was later rolled into Assembly Bill 900, a sweeping prison reform omnibus bill that authorized 53,000 new prison beds. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law in May.

“California does a really poor job at reducing recidivism due to drug and alcohol abuse,” DeVore said. “I think at the end of the day, this may end up reducing some of the wreckage caused by drugs and alcohol and have a small substantive benefit to the community of Newport Beach.”

Newport Beach has struggled with what some residents said is an over-concentration of drug centers on Balboa Peninsula. If more people get help for addiction problems in prison, fewer will end up in private recovery facilities, like the ones in Newport Beach, DeVore said.

“I’ve never said that this reform is aimed at Newport Beach,” DeVore said. “But I do think it will be a small step in the right direction, rather than the revolving door that we have now for some drug and alcohol-related crimes. We’re trying to break that cycle of people re-offending immediately.”

Assemblyman Van Tran authored several bills in 2007 that will go into effect this year, including Assembly Bill 383, a bill that allows Medi-Cal patients to schedule orthodontist visits as needed, instead of on a monthly basis. The new law will go into effect in July. Tran also authored Assembly Bill 861, which protects assets such as IRAs and survivor benefits during divorce proceedings.

“Half of our time and energy are spent opposing bad laws or voting down bad laws that we believe would hurt the quality of life in California,” Tran said of measuring his success over the past year. “So it’s relatively difficult to judge how effective a legislator is if you score the legislator just by the amount of legislation that they pass. That would not be accurate.”

State Sen. Tom Harman had six laws signed by the governor in 2007, including a bill requiring stricter standards for lifeguards at public pools. No major bills written by him go into effect Jan. 1. “It’s been a good year,” he said of his accomplishments in the legislative session.

— Michael Alexander contributed to this story.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.