The following article by Assemblyman Jim Patterson, California State Assembly, District 23, urges Californians to vote to stop lawsuit abuse:

"This week, supporters of California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse recognizes Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness about the impact lawsuit abuse has on our society. There is no doubt lawsuit abuse is taking a tremendous toll on our economy. California’s legal climate is consistently ranked number one in having among the least fair and reasonable litigation environments of all the U.S. states.

"When small businesses are constantly facing the threat of abusive lawsuits, how are they supposed to grow and create new jobs? It’s no surprise that California’s job creation remains subpar, and that our unemployment rate is so high.

"The good news is that there’s something we can each do to help fix this abysmal situation: vote. Election Day will soon be upon us. When making your decision about who deserves your vote for any public office, one thing you should ask your candidates is where they stand on stopping lawsuit abuse. Elected officials at all levels make decisions that affect our state’s legal climate. So this November, let your candidates know that lawsuit abuse in any form is unacceptable, and that our state needs to create jobs, not lawsuits."