The following excerpt of testimony by Planned Parenthood was emailed to Cal Catholic on November 8.

California Building Standards Commission Meeting,
Department of Consumer Affairs
1625 North Market Blvd.
First Floor Hearing Room
Sacramento, CA  95834

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

The meeting was conducted by the Chair, Marybel Batjer,
first secretary of the new California Government Operations Agency.

After about 1 hour and 5 minutes of closed session on pending litigation in regard to the plumbers union lawsuit against the California Building Standards Commission and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, at 11:30 a.m. the chair, secretary Marybel Batjer, asked for public testimony.

The first person to come forward was:

Paul Knepprath
Vice-president, policy and public affairs at
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Sacramento, California.

Chair (Marybel Batjer, California Government Operations Agency secretary, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown):  Hello, sir,

Paul Knepprath:  Hello:

Batjer:  Please state your name for the record and speak very clearly.

Knepprath:  Sure.

Paul Knepprath, representing Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, and we want to recognize obviously the actions being taken today, but also want to raise for the commission to understand that the issues around clinics and around primary care clinics and the 114 clinics that Planned Parenthood has here in California are very important to us.

The Affordable Care Act is being implemented as we speak, on January 1, people getting coverage.

There’s an expectation of expansion of facilities statewide to take in the new people who have insurance, but also those who will be in expanded Medi-Cal program here in California.

Thus, there will be a redevelopment and building of new clinic facilities across the state.

At what pace I don’t know but the issue of an exemption for some of the building standards is a very important one to Planned Parenthood.

The cost associated with meeting the higher standards are significant in some cases and they are important especially for organizations like ours that are serving the very poorest of Californians and trying to get them the health care that they need.

So, it’s something that we continue to have concern about. It’s something that we will continue to address and we hope that you will be able to come back with something that is suitable that may provide the responsibility that we seek in these building standards.  Thank you.

Batjer:  Thank you very much.  I appreciate that.

The California Building Standards Commission voted unanimously on Agenda Items 7 and 8 to (it seemed) accept the mandate of the court in the plumbers union lawsuit.