Parents and advocates from Placer County boarded charter buses before dawn Tuesday, heading straight for the Capitol steps in Sacramento to demand tougher penalties for anyone who supplies fentanyl to kids. Photos posted by the Placer County District Attorney’s Office show a delegation organized by the Empower + Resilience (E+R) project, led by Chris Didier, arriving on the same day the Assembly Public Safety Committee had AB 1667 on its agenda. The turnout marks a shift for many bereaved families who have moved from school-based education campaigns to full-on lobbying in the statehouse.
In a short note alongside the photos, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office identified the travelers as members of the Empower + Resilience project and said they were “headed to the California State Capitol to support AB 1667.” The post added that the Assembly Public Safety Committee was slated to start at 9:00 a.m., with AB 1667 expected to be heard around 11:30 a.m.
AB 1667, introduced Jan. 29 by Assembly Member Boerner, would amend Penal Code section 1192.7 to classify furnishing fentanyl and fentanyl analogs to a minor as a serious felony. That label would block plea bargaining in those cases and could open the door to added sentence enhancements for defendants with prior serious-felony convictions, according to California Legislative Information.
Among those on the buses was Chris Didier, whose 17-year-old son Zach died after taking a counterfeit pill that contained fentanyl. Since then, the Didiers have teamed up with the DA’s office on the “1 Pill Can Kill” public awareness campaign. Local coverage shows the family regularly appearing at school assemblies and county events to push for both enforcement and prevention work, as reported by KCRA.
What AB 1667 Would Change
The bill would add “selling, furnishing, administering, giving, or offering to sell, furnish, administer, or give to a minor any fentanyl or fentanyl analogs” to the list of serious felonies in state law, alongside crimes like murder and rape. Supporters say that upgrade is designed to deter dealers who target young people and to give prosecutors stronger leverage in charging and sentencing decisions, according to bill language posted by California Legislative Information.
Why Advocates Are Pushing For It
Supporters of the bill point to a spike in youth deaths tied to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fake prescription pills. A report from the CDC found that adolescent overdose deaths climbed sharply through late 2021 and highlighted the growing role of illicitly manufactured fentanyl. A separate analysis by KFF shows the share of adolescent drug fatalities involving fentanyl has risen substantially in recent years. Organizers say numbers like these are exactly why penalties for supplying fentanyl to minors need to be tougher.
Legal And Prosecutorial Stakes
If lawmakers sign off, AB 1667 would narrow plea-bargaining options in cases involving minors and fentanyl and could allow prosecutors to seek sentence enhancements tied to prior serious-felony convictions. The dispute sits inside a broader national argument over whether harsher criminal penalties or expanded prevention and treatment are the better tools for reducing youth overdoses, a tension described by the AP.
The DA’s social media post and images captured the day as advocates fanned out through Capitol hallways to meet with lawmakers. Organizers said they plan to keep pressing legislators as AB 1667 moves through the committee process. The full post from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office is available for readers who want to see the photos and the group’s note from the trip.
