Strip-Search Bill

Once again, members of the state Assembly from Orange County have shocked me in voting against a piece of legislation.

Assembly Bill 2496 prohibits school employees from conducting body cavity or strip searches of students. Unfortunately, under the Constitution, students do not enjoy the same protection that adults do under the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable search and seizure.

This bill extends protection to our children to prevent body cavity searches based on accusation. The whole process seems subject to abuse with harmful effects to the psychological well-being of our kids. I can’t imagine any parent consenting to having their teen-age girls or boys coerced into a body cavity search.

Yet our infamous Orange County Neanderthals Gil Ferguson, Nolan Frizelle, Dennis Brown and John Lewis all voted against the bill. Thank God our state senators, Marian Bergeson, Cecil Green and John Seymour, all supported the bill to protect our kids from the humiliation of a cavity search.

Perhaps the most disturbing part about this were any observations during my trip to Sacramento. My assemblyman is John Lewis. He voted against everything! From child care to child searches his nay vote was constantly illuminated on the tally board. This is representation in Sacramento? Those of us in the 67th Assembly District sent Lewis to Sacramento to represent us and our concerns. “Just say no” does not extend to all legislation.

JOHN DURAN

Santa Ana