Father’s passionate plea after daughter’s fentanyl death – Red Bluff Daily News

Candy Carlson, Tehama County District 2 Precinct Manager, watches as Liz Merry asks guest speaker Matt Capelouto questions at a town hall meeting Monday night. The town hall meeting was held to discuss the issue of fentanyl deaths. (Photo by Larry Sawyer)

RED BLUFF – A grieving parent made an impassioned plea for policy reform at a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the county office on Oak Street.

Candy Carlson, Tehama County’s 2nd District Supervisor, moderated the meeting, which was attended by Matt Capelouto of Southern California via Zoom.

About 30 people attended either in person or via Zoom. Capelouto shared his experience with the death of his daughter as a result of fentanyl poisoning. He painted a picture of a vibrant young college student who had privately struggled with depression since her early teens.

Capelouto said he is the father of four daughters. He said his daughter comes from a two-parent household. He described her as someone who always put on a “smiling face” and said she was academically advanced — she received a full scholarship to college.

According to Capelouto, Alexandra returned home for the holidays in 2019 during her sophomore year of college. “My wife found her dead in her bed during Christmas break. She was 20 years old – just starting her life.” He said an officer found half a pill on her dresser and her death was ruled an accidental overdose. He said unbeknownst to him and his wife, a drug dealer had delivered counterfeit oxycodone pills to their home that actually contained fentanyl. They became aware of this when they were able to check messages on her phone after her death.

“She made a bad decision, but not an evil decision,” Capelouto said. “The evil decision was made by the person who profited from her life.”

Now Capelouto is on a mission to hold her drug dealer responsible for her death. He worked tirelessly with lawmakers to create Alexandra’s Law, which ultimately failed but is now building on another proposal – the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, Initiative 23-0017A1.

Capelouto urged town hall attendees to vote for the bill, claiming it would “repeal Proposition 47.”

However, according to Governor Gavin Newsom, the bill would not repeal Proposition 47. In addition, the initiative would increase the costs of state and local criminal justice systems by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, according to estimates by the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Capelouto criticized many lawmakers, saying, “There is mafia-style politics in Sacramento.” He also criticized social media and various channels that young people use. He also blamed social media for promoting eating disorders. He claimed that drug dealers also use these channels to target young people and get them addicted.

Following Capelouto’s speech, audience members were able to ask questions. All expressed their sincere condolences and sympathy for his tremendous loss. Many expressed deep concern about the effects of fentanyl and counterfeit drugs.

Carlson pointed out that the minimal dose of the drug could potentially cause death. She also showed the audience a kit that contained Narcan. She said it could save a life.

Narcan, or naloxone, is effective against an opioid overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates on the brain and restoring breathing. According to the Department of Health, it only works if a person has opiates in their body.