Assemblywoman Schiavo Co-Authors Bipartisan Solutions to Fentanyl Crisis

SACRAMENTO –  To honor National Fentanyl Awareness Day, yesterday Assemblywoman Schiavo joined a legislative press conference to offer her support for the bipartisan solutions moving forward in the legislature to tackle the fentanyl crisis. Her support includes co-authoring AB 19, a bill which will ensure naloxone hydrochloride, also referred to as NARCAN, is available in our schools.

As the Assemblywoman said at the press conference yesterday, "As a mom, it is terrifying to think about what my daughter will face in the near future going into middle school and high school. This is truly a crisis that we are committed to addressing, to solving, and to making a difference on in a real way. We need to focus on things that are actually going to make an impact and change people's lives and prevent these tragedies from happening in our communities. That's one of the reasons I'm co-authoring AB 19, so schools are able to respond to the crises we are too often seeing in our schools and with our students."

Last year, 6,843 people died in California from opioid overdose and more than 83% of these deaths were related to Fentanyl. AB 19, the fentanyl bill Assemblywoman Schiavo is co-authoring, will require each public school to maintain at least two doses of naloxone hydrochloride on its campus. Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, quickly restoring normal breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid overdose.

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2022 to represent the 40th Assembly District, representing the Northwest San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley. Upon her election, she was appointed as Assistant Majority Whip by the Speaker of the Assembly. Prior to her election, Assemblywoman Schiavo was a Nurse Advocate and Small Business Owner who worked in the labor movement for more than 20 years. Throughout her career, Assemblywoman Schiavo helped deliver healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, to more than one million people. In the Northwest San Fernando Valley, she co-founded an organization that helped secure housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness, has delivered more than 50,000 meals to people in need, and increased resources to help keep our communities safe. Assemblywoman Schiavo lives in Chatsworth with her daughter Sofia where they love to hike in the Santa Susana Mountains.