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I’m pleased to report that at 11:50 this morning Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1420, authored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and co-sponsored by COA.
When it takes full effect next January 1, 2011, California will become the first state in the nation to require chain restaurants with more than 20 outlets to post nutritional information on their menu boards, to assist their customers in making healthy choices. A copy of our press release is attached, which goes into more detail.
This effort began in late 2006 when Sen. Padilla approached COA and asked us to co-sponsor his first measure, SB 120. Your Legislation and Regulation Committee discussed his request and decided that working with key public health sponsors – the California Center for Public Health Advocacy; the American Cancer Society; our traditional coalition partner, the California Chapter of the American Diabetes Association; and a number of patient advocacy groups – on this effort to combat obesity was an opportunity to reinforce optometrists’ roles as primary care eye providers, working on the front lines to prevent and manage diabetes, resulting eye diseases and blindness. That first measure was strongly opposed by the restaurant industry and was vetoed by the Governor last October. Sen. Padilla persisted and reintroduced the measure, and supporters and opponents reached a workable compromise in August.
Sean South, our Senior Health Community & Regulatory Advocate, deserves our congratulations and thanks for ramrodding this successful effort for us, over and above his normal public-health and scope-related coalition-building duties. Way to go, Sean!
2008 has been a good year for our efforts to increase awareness of what California Doctors of Optometry do every day to fight disabling and fatal eye-related diseases. I’m proud, and you should be, too.
Sincerely,
David Redman, O.D.
COA President
