Former California Sen. Cathie Wright, a Simi Valley Republican who served in the Legislature for 20 years, died Saturday. She was 82.
Timm Herdt writes about her legacy in today's Ventura County Star:
"She was a conservative politician with a soft heart for people who were not able to take care of themselves," said former Ventura County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg. "She really cared for people who were poor or mentally ill."
Wright was instrumental in crafting details of the state's welfare-to-work law, but she took greatest pride in her advocacy for an integrated program for delivering services to mentally ill children. She championed the Systems of Care program as a pilot project in Ventura County, and then each year pushed to expand it to additional counties.
A public memorial service is expected to be held on Friday in Simi Valley. Click here to read the full obituary.
Torey Van Oot covers the California Legislature and state politics. 
Amy Chance is political editor for The Sacramento Bee. 
Dan Smith is Capitol bureau chief for The Sacramento Bee. 
Melody Gutierrez covers the state Legislature. 
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Laurel Rosenhall covers the lobbying community and higher education. 
Jim Sanders covers the state Legislature. 
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Dan Walters is a columnist for The Sacramento Bee. 
Jeremy B. White covers California politics and edits Capitol Alert's mobile Insider Edition. 
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