[Fwd: California Action Alert - November 2004]

[Guest guest]

-------

California Action Alert - November 2004

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 22:08:56 -0700

Rose Lernberg <lernberg

Rose Lernberg <lernberg

 

 

 

If you do not wish to continue receiving this alert, send a message to

<_lernberg_> with UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.

---------

 

*Please note:** The next legislative meeting in Sacramento will be held

on Monday, December 6.

*

---------

 

 

November 2004

 

 

2004 California Action Alert

 

This alert is prepared by Rose Lernberg

Virginia Handley of The Fund for Animal has contributed information

about wildlife issues.

 

*Address for all legislators and Governor Schwarzenegger: State Capitol

Building, Sacramento, CA 95814 (916/322-9900)

*

 

 

 

---------

 

 

 

*Activists who want to help with animal legislation are welcome to

legislative meetings.

Monday, December 6, 10:00 A.M. ­ 1 P.M.

Room 113, State Capitol Building, Sacramento.

 

Call Rose Lernberg, 510/527-2194, for more information.

 

*---------

 

 

/California Fish and Game Department/Commission:

 

/

 

*Fish and Game Commission Appointment Oppose

*Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed Marilyn Hendrickson of Vacaville

to the Fish and Game Commission. She is the owner and operator of Sep¹s

Pro Fishing, Inc. and the producer of the ³California Sportsmen² radio

show on KHTK 1140 AM in Sacramento. Her appointment must be confirmed by

the Senate. *Next Hearing*: Senate Rules Committee. No date set.

Tell the legislators that pro-hunting advocates dominate the Fish and

Game Commission and rule our wildlife with pro-hunting policies and

constantly increasing ³hunting opportunities.² *Write to: *Your State

Senator and Senator Don Perata, Chair, Senate Rules Committee.

 

*Fish and Game Commission Appointment

*Commissioner Sam Schucat's term on the Commission is ending in

December. He has been an environmental voice. Governor Schwarzenegger

will appoint a new Commissioner. Commissioner Schucat can serve until

that appointment.

*Write to:* Governor Schwarzenegger. Tell him the Commission is the

Supreme Court for our wildlife. Their future is determined by the

difference of one vote. The Commission needs a humane and environmental

member, not another hunter.

 

*Trapping Regulations Oppose

*The Fish and Game Department will soon be re-proposing trapping

regulations. Those will probably include regulating trappers with

minimum humane standards on methods of trapping, handling and killing,

but exclude raccoons, possums and skunks in order to exempt ³pest²

control trappers from licensing. They also may increase bobcat trapping

and start red fox trapping. *Next Hearing:* No date set.

*Write to: *The Fish and Game Commission, 1416 ­ 9th St., Sacramento, CA

95814. Tell the Commissioners that exempting raccoon, opossum and skunk

trappers from licensing and humane regulations guts the purpose of SB

1645, the law passed in 2002 to protect these species from inhumane

methods of trapping and killing. Ask the Commissioners to ban killer

conibear traps on land and that ³daily² trap checks be defined to mean

every 24 hours. Also tell them that bobcats and red foxes need

protection from needless trapping.

 

*Fish and Game Commission Meetings:* Thurs. December 2 at 10:00 A.M. and

Fri. December 3 at 8:30 A.M., The Beach Resort, Bay View Room, 2600 Sand

Dunes Drive, Monterey.

Call the Commission (916/653-4899) for more information on agenda items.

 

---------

 

*/California Veterinary Medical Board/ *1420 Howe Ave., Sacramento 95825

(916/263-2610):

 

Ask the State Veterinary Medical Board to:

 

ÿ Inform all veterinarians and veterinary technicians that they are now

legally required to report abuse of animals under their care wherever

they work, including clinics, research laboratories, circuses, factory

farms, rodeos, etc.

 

ÿ Allow veterinary technicians to perform neutering procedures,

especially in animal shelters and spay/neuter clinics. Under current

law, shelter dogs and cats cannot go to their adopted homes until they

are spayed/neutered. This contributes to overcrowding and disease at the

shelters. The Registered Veterinary Technician Committee is now

considering adding ³neutering² to the list of authorized job tasks.

 

ÿ Not allow veterinarians to advertise that they are ³specialists² or

have ³special interests² unless they are board certified as specialists.

The Board is currently considering a regulation to protect clients and

animals from false advertising.

 

ÿ Seek specific information from veterinarians required to report animal

injuries at rodeos. Current reports are incomplete.

 

*Next Hearing: *January 20, 2005, The University of California at Davis.

 

---------

*

*

 

 

/Commission on State Mandates

 

/

 

The Commission on State Mandates voted that cities/counties are entitled

to reimbursement for some of the increased costs incurred under SB 1785

(1998), including veterinary care and maintenance for strays that are

killed. The Commission recognized that shelters had additional costs

associated with strays that are adopted, but said that the shelters have

authority to recover these added costs by raising adoption fees. The

Commission also said that shelters are not required to accept

owner-surrendered animals, so increased costs associated with these

animals are not reimbursable by the state.

 

The Commission estimated the statewide cost of this reimbursable mandate

up through the 2002-03 budget year as $65,305,876. The 2003-04 Budget

suspended this mandate, meaning that the state would not reimburse local

governments for the costs of the mandate for that fiscal year.

Therefore, local governments were not required to perform the additional

duties imposed by SB 1785 that were judged to be reimbursable. Payment

for claims filed covering expenditures in earlier years were postponed

indefinitely.

 

The Governor proposed to repeal this reimbursable mandate in the 2004-05

budget, but changed his mind under pressure from animal advocates. This

budget includes $13,900,000 for this mandate.

 

The Attorney General¹s office filed an action against the Commission on

State Mandates on behalf of the Department of Finance to require the

Commission to issue a new decision denying reimbursement for all but a

small part of the increased costs incurred under SB 1785. In return, Los

Angeles County filed a court case in Los Angeles maintaining that it

does not have sufficient authority to levy fees to recover the costs of

those services that the Commission on State Mandates had determined were

not reimbursable. These two cases will probably be consolidated in the

Sacramento court.

 

---------

 

*To receive timely e-mail action alerts, *send a message to:

<_lernberg_> with subject: alert. Include your

full name, snail mail address, phone, and the animal organization you

represent, if any. Alerts are usually e-mailed weekly while the

Legislature is in session.

 

*For free presentations to groups anywhere in California on animal

legislation and the legislative process*, contact Virginia Handley of

The Fund for Animals (415/474-4020).

 

*For a 2004 voting record of the State Legislature, *contact Paw PAC,

P.O. Box 475012, San Francisco, CA 94147-5012 (415/646-0622) or check

Paw PAC¹s web site: <www.pawpac.org>

_

_---------

 

*THE END*

_

_