by Connie Zarkowski,
VCAHU Legislative Chair
Day at the Capitol in Sacramento lets our legislators
know how valulable we are to the healthcare delivery system and what
a valuable resource we can be to them. This year, we focused on CAHU's
public poll where we asked how people really felt about single payer
and the "think tank" analysis that CAHU commissioned on the
Senator Sheila Kulehl's bill, SB 840. Under SB 840, private health
insurance would be replaced with a state-run single payer system. CAHU's
goal was to obtain objective information about the bill both from the
public's perspective and fkom expert studies that would be helpful
to legislators when deciding whether or not to vote for it.
The results were interesting to say the least. You can
see the reports on the front page of CAHU's website at www.cahu.org.
We visited Assemblywoman Audra Strickland and Senator Tom McClintock,
both of whom oppose the Kuehl bill. Ms. Strickland (who brings her
new baby to work) was appreciative of the information we gave her to
help oppose the bill. Senator McClintock believes employment-based
health insurance should be eliminated in favor of refundable tax credits
to buy individual coverage. He is running for lieutenant governor this
year and will be facing Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi.
Steve Poizner, the only Republican candidate for insurance
commissioner, was the keynote speaker on Wednesday and told us about
his platform, with elimination of fraud as his prime concern. He will be
facing our current Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamonte in the November
election. We went to the lieutenant governor's office and invited him to attend one of our meetings. It will be
an interesting meeting if he accepts.
It is always exciting to be involved with the
people who are creating legislation. It is our job to make sure they
have the information only health insurance agents can provide; a
view of the real world and the real consequences of their ideas before
they vote on changes or new laws. We are fortunate to have excellent
lobbyists and leadership that have brought our association to the
forefront when it comes to health insurance issues. We have strong
credibility with the legislators, and we can be proud of our accomplishments.
Together we are making a difference in Sacramento.
By Angie Valencia,
Staff Writer
Saturday, August 14, 2004 - SIMI VALLEY -- A 35-year-old
man whose spinal cord injury makes him walk with an awkward gait has
filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Simi Valley and three police
officials over his arrest last year on suspicion of public intoxication.
Lawyers for Christopher D. Wiley say the irregular gait possibly gave
police the false impression the disabled man was drunk.
Wiley was not charged with any crime and police had no basis for detaining
him, his attorneys said.
The suit accuses the city and police of false arrest, civil rights
violations, battery and assault -- among other things.
"Our client is disabled and officers were notified
at the scene," said attorney Scott Kudler. "They didn't take
any precaution in how they handled the situation ... This is a police
brutality case."
The Simi Valley Police Department referred questions about the suit
to City Attorney David Hirsch, who said, "We disagree with the
allegation and complaint and plan to aggressively defend the lawsuit."
According to Wiley's suit, he was driven by an acquaintance
to his ex-girlfriend's house to retrieve a cell phone on the night
of July 11, 2003. There were two police vehicles parked near the house
responding to a call claiming that Wiley was suspected of making a
criminal threat, Kudler said.
Kudler said the person who complained of the threat
had a relationship with Wiley, but the attorney would not give specifics.
At the home, two Simi police officers handcuffed the driver of the
vehicle
and Wiley and ordered them to sit at the curb. The criminal threat
complaint was withdrawn minutes later, Wiley's attorneys said. Police
then took Wiley to jail on suspicion of public intoxication.
Kudler
said that Wiley repeatedly asked the officers to administer a test
of his blood, urine or breath to prove his sobriety, but they would
not grant his request.
"He was begging them to test him," Kudler
said. Simi Valley police Sgt. Paul Fitzpatrick said the department
does not test for blood alcohol level in such cases, and that public
intoxication arrests are made based on the observations of officers
and the symptoms displayed on the person arrested.
The lawsuit says that Wiley asked for assistance
to stand up because of his disability. The officers "abruptly
yanked (him) to his feet and began walking him rapidly towards a police
vehicle ... a defendant police officer stepped on one of Mr. Wiley's
bare feet, causing him to fall to the asphalt very hard," the
suit contends. The fall opened a wound on his shin and caused other
injuries. Wiley asked
to be taken to Simi Valley Hospital, where he fell again on the lobby
floor.
Wiley's lawyers contend he was dragged 100 feet
to a sheriff's vehicle, scraped his bare legs and knees along the pavement,
and again asked for a sobriety test. A sheriff's deputy who drove Wiley
to Ventura County Jail also is named in the lawsuit for allegedly threatening
to find a "nice little side road and hash this out" if Wiley
did not stop complaining and quiet down.
Wiley was released on July 12. The suit seeks an
undetermined amount of cash for punitive damages, pain and suffering,
medical costs, lost wages and other damages. Wiley filed the complaint
last November.
"It's frightening that the Simi Valley police
officers could not recognize the difference between someone being intoxicated
and disabled," said attorney Constance Zarkowski.
---
Angie Valencia, (805) 583-7604 [email protected]
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