Assembly Bill 2648 Headed to the Governor

Dangerous Bill Headed to Governor- Please Help Us Stop It! Passage of Assembly Bill 2648 May Leave the Law Library in the Dark, Force Closure of Branches Assembly Bill 2648, a bill that could financially devastate the San Diego County Public Law Library, has passed the California House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor. Currently, San Diego county government provides building space and electricity for the Public Law Library. Under this bill, the Public Law Library could be required to assume this burden. If that happens, the San Diego County Public Law Library could be forced to drastically cut hours, staff, books, and probably close the doors of its branches. To read the text of this bill, click here. Only by letting the Governor know of the potentially dreadful consequences of this bill can we hope to kill it. We are asking all library supporters to immediately write, fax, or e-mail Lynn Schenk, Chief of Staff for Governor Gray Davis. She used to be a practicing attorney here in San Diego and is familiar with the Public Law Library. Please emphasize these facts: - The Public Law Library serves solo and small firm attorneys by making expensive legal materials accessible and available. - We serve the public by supplying access to law materials free of charge. - We help people who cannot afford a lawyer by offering free legal clinics. - We teach people how to do their own legal research so they can learn what their rights are and how to protect them. - The librarians help people find laws and learn about how changes in the laws affect them. In short, we are a vital and necessary part of the legal community and this bill has the potential to cripple us. Don't let this ill-conceived legislation take away these important services - let the Governor know how much the Public Law Library means to you! Please be sure and send us a copy (fax to 619-238-7716 and e-mail Charles Dyer) so we can keep your statement of support on file. We will keep you posted....and thanks for your support! Write to: Lynn Schenk, Chief of Staff Office of the Governor 1350 Front Street, Suite 6054 San Diego, CA 92101 Phone: 619-525-4641 FAX: 525-4640 or e-mail her assistant.

We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter. We're hard at work on the next edition. In the meantime, please visit us online at: http://www.sdcll.org/. And come see us in person at one of our locations. For locations and hours please click here: http://www.sdcll.org/location.htm. For more information contact: Amy Hale-Janeke ahale@sdcll.org Media Coordinator / Reference Librarian (619) 531-3900