School Incident In Tuolumne County Spurs State Legislation

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sonora, CA — In a new myMotherLode.com blog, Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil references a recent incident involving Belleview Elementary School board member Jason Vassar as a central reason for proposing a new law.

We reported earlier that a restraining order was placed against Vassar after disturbing materials emerged that he had written that expressed threats to harm children and anti-government rantings.

Senator Alvarado-Gil writes, “My Senate Bill 796 would make it a serious crime for anyone to make a threat towards a school or a place of worship, whether or not there is intent to carry out the threat. The incident involving Vassar is a prime example for why we need to implement stricter laws to hold individuals with nefarious intentions accountable; we cannot afford to wait for a tragedy to occur before deciding it is the right time to address safety in schools and places of worship.”

Alvarado-Gil adds that she is planning a town hall meeting in the coming months in Tuolumne County to discuss school safety and hear from constituents, law enforcement, and faith-based organizations.

You can read the full blog by clicking here.