Assemblyman Bob Epple (D-Norwalk) told junior high students Friday that he is sponsoring legislation to stiffen penalties for those who sell drugs near schools. “People are demanding that

children be taught in a drug-free environment,” Epple said at a news conference at South Middle School in Downey. “But because penalties are so low, our schools have become supermarkets for

drugs.” Epple’s bill, introduced March 1, calls for a minimum 10-14-year sentence for the first offense of selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school. A subsequent conviction would carry a

penalty of 20 to 28 years. MORE TO READ