From the President Donald T. Miller, MD. MPH
 The chapter survey that accompanied our recent chapter election ballot is being reviewed, but a preliminary look at one area shows that many of our chapter members are not aware of the role that the AAP California District plays within the work of our chapter. Many were unaware that a portion of their chapter dues are designated for support for our AAP District office. Each of the 4 chapters in California contributes a portion of the membership dues to maintain AAP California District 9, one of 10 AAP Districts within the United States.
Your chapter leaders are part of the Board of Directors for the District, helping to guide the District in its work. Most of the resources of the District are used for work on legislative issues in Sacramento. Clearly, as a small chapter within the state of California, we would be unable, alone, to tackle the politics and legislation, as well and build strong coalitions with partners in Sacramento. The importance of this cohesive approach is what brought the individual chapters in California together to form the District ---- to serve our needs in the political arena and with the leadership of California.
There are dozens, if not hundreds of bills that are drafted in the California Legislature that have potential impact on children and on pediatricians. Some of these pieces of legislation are well-meaning but with potentially problematic impact on us and on kids. For example, the increasing concern regarding autism and developmental disorders had prompted one legislator to draft a bill to require pediatricians or those caring for children to do specific developmental screenings at certain ages, with punitive measures to be assessed if the process was not followed. The AAP was able to intercept the bill during its journey, speak with the author(s) and modify the legislation to include a pilot project on focused screening, eliminate an onerous (and likely ineffective) state mandate, yet keep the well-meaning intent of the author in the wording. Unfortunately, each legislative session is filled with bills like the one described above, with a range of topics from lead testing to cultural competency, translation services to vaccine requirements, scope of practice expansion for non-physicians to funding for services under Medi-Cal. The strong political divisions at the State level, the enormous State deficit, and the frequent turnover of legislators in the Assembly and Senate create a fertile environment for these types of bills to be suggested ---- requiring our AAP California District to be diligent, responsive, and politically savvy.
Overtime, the AAP California District has created an image as being a trustworthy partner, an honest broker, and THE contact group for issues related to children in Sacramento. This status has helped establish collaborative efforts with other groups, and allowed us to have a voice in the political process in Sacramento ---- despite the fierce battles over the budget, politics, immigration, education, healthcare and a myriad other issues --- which don’t appear to be subsiding.
Our liaisons for state government affairs are Dr. Mark Sawyer and Dr. Nancy Graff, as well as our Chapter President and Vice-President, who attend quarterly District Meetings. You can view updated AAP California legislative activities on our own website at www.aapca3.org, which is being redesigned and will launch soon. Contact our chapter if you have an interest in the work and the issues that are part of the work of our AAP California District 9.
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