SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

Capistrano Unified School District’s most promising bid for charter status met its demise in the state Legislature this week after a six-month spree of legislative approvals.

If passed, Senate Bill 1705 would have streamlined the charter application process, making it easier for Capistrano Unified to draft and approve a petition to convert to a charter district.

But the bill was stalled Thursday when the final committee to review the it--the Assembly Appropriations Committee--opted to leave the bill indefinitely on the suspense file. That placement means the bill requires extra scrutiny before it can be voted on by legislators.

With only one week left in the legislative session, the bill is effectively dead, said Mike Kilbourn, a lobbyist for the Orange County Department of Education, who helped develop the bill.