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Orozco, Norma <br />From: <br />Lopez, Jesus <br />Sent: <br />Tuesday, March 19, 2019 4:53 PM <br />To: <br />eComment <br />Subject: <br />SB 689 <br />Honorable Council Members: <br />From 2016 to 2018 a Needle Exchange Program operated weekly in the Civic Center Plaza where the library is <br />located. Recently a needle exchange program was scheduled to be established again in Santa Ana. <br />I have witnessed that, as proposed, the Needle Exchange Program had disastrous effects in my neighborhood and my <br />community. Programs like these, as well intentioned as they may be, have an extremely harmful and long-lasting <br />negative impact when implemented without local input and control. I am writing to express my support for SB 689 <br />which simply aims to give local control of needle exchange programs. I believe this is vital to the efficacy of such <br />programs. This bill will allow local municipalities to build wrap around services and an entire continuum of care in <br />conjunction with the needle exchanges. It will allow the municipalities to set aside funding for treatment programs for <br />addiction, mental health services, disease prevention, education and many other resources that are so desperately <br />needed. <br />The State Department currently controlling needle exchanges does not have the benefit of intimately knowing what <br />each individual municipality needs, what the demographics are, where things are located, such as schools and after <br />school programs where children are playing. Although needle exchange may be an asset to some, putting the public <br />safety of children at risk is not beneficial. The harm to the many far outweighs the service to the few. Local <br />municipalities should be able to work in collaboration with service providers and residents to determine how they can <br />best make needle exchanges work within their jurisdiction. <br />Please accept this email as my statement of support for drafting a resolution supporting SB 689. <br />Thank you, <br />Jesse Lopez <br />Library .assistant - youth Services <br />City of Santa Ana- PRCSA/Santa Ana Public Library <br /> <br />Learn*Have Fun*Get Fit*Be Respectful <br />LO <br />