Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/538747
ByFenitNirappil TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO Inablowto the right-to-die movement, California lawmakers on Tuesday dropped one of the strongest legislative efforts in the U.S. to allow termi- nally ill patients to legally end their lives. The move came despite pleas involving the case of Brittany Maynard, who moved from the San Fran- cisco Bay Area to Oregon, which has a right-to-die law, when she was 29 so she could die on her own terms after a brain cancer diagnosis. Aid-in-dying advocates had hoped the nation- ally publicized case would prompt a wave of new right- to-die laws. But no state has passed such legislation this year, with efforts defeated or stalling in Colorado, Maine, Hawaii, Pennsylva- nia, New Jersey and else- where. The authors of the Cal- ifornia legislation that would allow doctors to pre- scribe life-ending drugs lacked enough support to get through committees this year amid fierce reli- gious opposition. Democratic Assembly- woman Susan Eggman, a former hospice care social worker who co-authored the bill, said her colleagues in the Legislature were un- comfortable with the pros- pect of allowing people to end their own lives. "The U.S. is a death-de- nying, death-defying cul- ture, and one of the hard- est things to change is cul- ture," Eggman said. Sponsors vowed to con- tinue the fight in the Leg- islature. Meanwhile, aid-in- dying advocates have said they would take the issue to voters if the effort by law- makers failed. "We owe it to Brittany Maynard's family and ter- minally ill Californians to pursue every available rem- edy to give them relief from unbearable suffering," said Toni Broaddus, California campaign director for the right-to-die group Compas- sion and Choices. Maynard's husband Dan Diaz, who has lobbied law- makers on behalf of the right-to-die bill, said he's optimistic about the future of the movement after the influential California Med- ical Association dropped its opposition and bills were introduced in two dozen states. "All of those things, I'd say, are enormous victories or huge steps, and those came about because of Brit- tany's story," Diaz said. "It is a very personal and very emotional topic, and that's fine. People need to think about it and work through it." The California measure was passed by the state Sen- ate but hit a roadblock in the Assembly Health Com- mittee. The panel includes at least two lawmakers who said they were reluctant to vote to allow patients to kill themselves after watching their own parents die from terminal illnesses. Assemblyman Jimmy Go- mez, D-Los Angeles, said he wanted to see advance- ments in treatment and pre- vention of diseases before allowing life-ending medi- cation as a last resort. He cited his own father, saying his pancreatic cancer could have been caught before it spread. "I've seen suffering first- hand, and we have to make sure we relieve people's suf- fering," Gomez said. "Those who come from disadvan- taged backgrounds should have the most complete in- formation, feel the least co- erced and see other options." TERMINALLY ILL California right-to-die bill stalls in blow to movement RICHPEDRONCELLI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE The authors of the bill, Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, le , and Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, right, that would allow California physicians to help terminally ill patents end their lives, did not present the measure to the Assembly Health Committee as scheduled because it did not have enough votes to advance. By Paul Elias and Erica Werner The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO The gun used in the seemingly ran- dom slaying of a woman on a San Francisco pier be- longed to a federal agent, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter said Tuesday. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity, said a police check of the weap- on's serial number shows it belonged to a federal agent. The official declined to elab- orate further. Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder in last week's shoot- ing. Sanchez told two tele- vision stations he found the gun wrapped in a shirt on the pier. Authorities say Sanchez is in the United States ille- gally and has been deported five times. San Francisco officials re- leased the Mexican national from jail in April, ignoring an Immigration and Cus- toms Enforcement request to detain him so deportation proceedings could begin. Leading Democrats — including San Francisco's former mayor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein — have joined mounting criticism of the city's policy of refusing to cooperate with federal im- migration officials when they request help in detain- ing a suspect thought to be in the country illegally. Sanchez has served more than 17 years in prison for entering the country ille- gally and also has four fel- ony drug convictions. Criticism of San Francis- co's sanctuary city policy was expected from top Re- publicans such as Wiscon- sin Sen. Ron Johnson. But the policy is also drawing unexpected fire from Dem- ocrats, including both U.S. senators from California. In addition, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told CNN that San Fran- cisco was wrong to ig- nore the ICE detainer re- quest and release Sanchez from custody after local prosecutors dropped mar- ijuana possession charges in April. "The city made a mis- take, not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be de- ported," Clinton said. "So I have absolutely no support for a city that ignores the strong evidence that should be acted on." Feinstein called on San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to start cooperating with fed- eral immigration officials who want to deport felons such as Sanchez who are in the country illegally. Fein- stein served as San Fran- cisco mayor from 1978 to 1988. "I strongly believe that an undocumented individual, convicted of multiple felo- nies and with a detainer re- quest from ICE, should not have been released," Fein- stein said. "We should fo- cus on deporting convicted criminals, not setting them loose on our streets." The San Francisco mayor's office said it has reached out to Department of Homeland Security offi- cials to determine if there's a way to cooperate with fed- eral immigration officials while still maintaining the sanctuary policy. "Mayor Lee shares the senator's concerns sur- rounding the nature of Mr. Sanchez's transfer to San Francisco and release," said Christine Falvey, a spokes- woman for the mayor. Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, also from Northern California, said she asked Gov. Jerry Brown if state law was followed in the re- lease of Sanchez. "For decades, I have sup- ported deporting violent criminals, and I have al- ways believed that sanctu- ary should not be given to felons," Boxer said. CRIMINAL WARRANT Agent's gun used in San Francisco pier slaying, source says Advertiser Benefits: • One FREE enhanced Bold listing for contractor advertisers over 1/4 page, including up to 18 words of descriptive copy, in addition to basic listing information. Publishing the business name, license number and telephone number of all Tehama County building and related contractors in good standing with the State of California, listed by primary professional specialty. Printed Version: 3,000 local distribution, through July, 2016 • Chambers of Commerce • Home Improvement Centers • Real Estate and Title Offices • City and County Offices • Advertisers' Businesses • Magazine size, unbound, high-bright newsprint • Full color positions available Online Version: Publication hosted on the front page of Tehama County's most visited website: www.redbluffdailynews.com • Online 24/7 through July, 2016 • Digital, page-turn technology • Click through from ads online to advertiser's web page or a free "splash page" • Weekly promotion of the Contractors Guide online in The Daily News' Real Estate Pages First Distribution/Published Online: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 Advertising Deadline: Tuesday, July 14, 2015 ADVERTISING RATES (Print and Online Editions): Contractors: Duplicate basic listing under additional contractor categories: $10 ea. 1/8 page $69.00 Inside Front Page $420.00 1/4 page $116.00 Back Page: $470.00 Half Page $184.00 Full Page $325.00 Full color: Add 20% "When you need it done right … Hire only a licensed contractor!" 2015 Tehama County Contractors Guide DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY Suzy Noble (530) 737-5056 snoble@redbluffdailynews.com Gayla Eckels (530) 737-5044 geckels@redbluffdailynews.com Contact your Advertising Representative for more information: | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015 8 A ★