Wilson Signs Truck Seat Belt Measure

Gov. Pete Wilson on Thursday signed into law a bill requiring passengers in the back of pickup trucks to wear seat belts, a measure co-sponsored by Ventura County Assemblyman Jack O’Connell and helped through by his onetime political rival.

O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) twice before sponsored similar legislation, which Wilson vetoed in 1991 and failed to pass committee last year. But this year he had help from Connie Los, a Republican socialite who ran against him two years ago.

The Santa Barbara woman’s 15-year-old son, Ryan, died in a pickup truck accident in July, 1992. The youth was not wearing a seat belt while riding in the flatbed of his friend’s truck, when the vehicle overturned on a Santa Ynez road.

Los joined forces a year ago with O’Connell and has campaigned for the law ever since, organizing a statewide letter-writing campaign and testifying before legislative committees.

O’Connell’s 35th Assembly District stretches from Ventura to Santa Paula and includes much of Santa Barbara County.

“It’s been my life for a year, trying to get this bill passed,” Los said after hearing that Wilson signed it. “This is finally Ryan’s gift. I feel like it’s wrapped up in a bow.”

A spokeswoman for O’Connell said he was pleased with the bill’s passage, given that a law which he sponsored and got passed in 1987 already required animals to be tethered in the back of pickup trucks.

“He thought it was rather illogical,” spokeswoman Kellie Smith said.