On Thursday, April 9th, I had a 1-hour meeting with Christine Hewitt of Assemblywoman Diane Harkey's staff. Christine is the person who is handling AB 634 for Assemblywoman Harkey, We discussed the support we have gotten so far and the opposition, which so far is only the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), formerly known as the California Trial Lawyers Association.

The hearing on the bill, originally set for April 14, has been pushed back to May, but we do not have a firm date yet.

VERY IMPORTANT: Everyone should contact their local Assembly Member or State Senator and not only ask for their support, but ask them to become a co-sponsor of AB 634. Assemblywoman Harkey's office will be sending a co-sponsors sign-up around the Legislature soon, so please do this right away. If you do not know your legislators, go to http://www.legislature.ca.gov/. Enter your address or zip code in the "Find your Legislator" area, and you will get their name and address.

If you live in a coastal area, ask your City Council or Board of Supervisors, to come out in support of AB 634. If they do, ask them to request the same of the League of California Cities and/or the County Supervisors Association of California (CSAC).

If you have contacts with your local Chamber of Commerce, especially if you are a business owner, ask for their support and then ask them to ask for that of the State Chamber of Commerce.

Dean A. Rewerts
Vice President, Reef Development
DeanR@CaliforniaShipstoReefs.org