Fwd: AB 241 (Puppy Mills) gets next hearing; Dean Florez speaks out for SB 250

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Dear Supporters:

Do you live in one of t

hese cities?

20

 

 

Assemblymember

Cities

Phone

 

 

 

Mary Hayashi - Chair

District 18

Castro Valley, Hayward, Oakland, Pleasanton,

San Leandro, San Lorenzo

 (916) 319-2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Emmerson - Vice Chair 

District 63

Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Redlands,

San Bernardino, Highland, Loma Linda, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Yucaipa,

Moreno Valley, Riverside

(916) 319-2063

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connie Conway

District 34

Barstow, Bishop, Porterville, Twentynine

Palms, Visalia, Tulare, Needles

(916) 319-2034

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Eng

District 49

Alhambra, El Monte, Monterey Park,

Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South El Monte

(916) 319-2049

 

 

 

 

 

Edward P. Hernandez

District 57

Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, Industry,

Irwindale, La Puente, Valinda, West Covina

(916) 319-2057

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roger Niello

District 5

Folsom, Citrus Heights, Sacramento,

Orangevale, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Arden Arcade, Natomas, Granite

Bay, North Highlands

(916) 319-2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

John A. Pérez

District 46

Huntington Park, Los Angeles

(916) 319-2046

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curren D. Price Jr.

District 51

Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale,

Los Angeles, Westchester, West Compton

(916) 319-2051

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ira Ruskin

District 21

San Carlos, Redwood City, Menlo Park,

Woodside, Portola Valley, Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos

Hills, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, San Jose

(916) 319-2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cameron Smyth

District 38

Canyon Country, Northridge, Santa Clarita,

Simi Valley

(916) 319-2038

 

 

 

 

 

The 10 Assemblymembers shown above are voting on AB

241, Assemblymember Pedro Nava's anti puppy mill legislation,

in committee this Tuesday morning, April 28th. If you

live in one of these cities, please call the number shown, and say:

 

 

 

"Hello,

my name is <your name>, and I live

on <your street> in <your

city>, in Assemblymember <name's>

district.

I am calling to ask that the Assemblymember

support AB 241 in committee on Tuesday. AB 241 is an important

step towards regulating puppy mills in California."

 

 

 

The call must be made before Tuesday morning. You can

leave a message if no one answers. Please only call20your own Assemblymember

as shown above, and be sure to provide your address as shown so that the

office can confirm that you live in the district. Thank you

for helping stop cruel puppy mills in California!

 

Senator Dean Florez Provides Update on SB

250, The Pet Responsibility Act

The following editorial by Senator Florez was published

in the San Diego Union-Tribune this morning. It's a wonderful overview

of the pet overpopulation crisis in California and the promise of SB 250.

Animal house

Bill focuses on explosion in unwanted pets

By Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez,

April 26, 2009

California's

animal shelters and, indeed, our entire pet population are in crisis.

Nearly a million unwanted pets enter California shelters each year. More

than half are being put to death. For cats in some rural areas, the euthanasia

rate is as high as 96 percent.

The emotional toll to those shelter workers and animal

rescue volunteers who must decide each day who lives and who dies is incalculable.

 

The actual cost to shelter and kill these animals each

year has reached $250 million and is being borne by all California taxpayers

– responsible pet owners, irresponsible pet owners and non-pet owners

alike.

In February, I introduced The Pet Responsibility Act

– Senate Bill 250 – to focus on the responsible actions that

we, as pet owners, can take to greatly reduce the number of unwanted pets,

reduce the need for euthanasia and lessen this burden on the state's taxpayers.

 

Under SB 250, all Californians are encouraged to have

their dogs and cats spayed or neutered by the time they are 6 months old.

Many will try to paint this measure with the same brush as “mandatory

spay and neuter†efforts that have been tried and failed. I myself

voted against previous legislat

ion because it usurped personal freedoms

and local control. But the underlying goal of responsible pet ownership

is a worthy one with multiple benefits to our community, which is why

it is time to embrace a different approach.

 

 

 

 

"This concept has already saved dollars and lives. When

Santa Cruz County enacted a similar ordinance, the need for euthanasia

dropped 60 percent."

 

 

 

SB 250 allows individuals and responsible breeders to

get a license to leave a dog or indoor cat unaltered. Local authorities

would have the right to revoke or refuse an unaltered license for violations

of their animal-control ordinances.

There would be no “puppy police†going door

=2

0 to door seeking unaltered pets. If you own a pet, and care for and maintain

control of that pet, you should never have a reason to hear from animal

services.

On the other hand, this measure recognizes that people

who allow their unaltered animals to run free, operate back yard puppy

mills that dump their “excess inventory†on shelters, or are

found guilty of animal abuse or neglect do contribute greatly to the pet

overpopulation problem and should not be allowed to keep or obtain an

unaltered license.

This is not a new concept; it has been tested and proven

to save both dollars and lives. When Santa Cruz County enacted an ordinance

similar to SB 250, the need for euthanasia dropped 60 percent.

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that could

be supporting schools and improving our overburdened infrastructure are

instead being spent to kill unwanted animals brought into this world by

a failure of personal responsibility.

Some of us are led by our heart strings, others by our

purse strings. Whatever your personal motivation, I think we can agree

that reducing the number of unwanted pets and encouraging responsible

pet ownership are laudable goals we should all strive for.

To see a video of Senator Florez speaking about

SB 250, please click

here.

 

Thank you all for your ongoing support of

pro-animal legislation in California.

If you can, please consider making a donation to

SCIL to help us advance our important work. SCIL is a 100% volunteer organization

and uses donations only to further legislative goals through public awareness

and policy advocacy.

 

We are making a difference together in our

great state.

 

Warm regards,

Judie Mancuso

President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)

A 501©(4) non-profit organization focused on reducing pet overpopulation

through legislation.

www.YESonAB241.com

www.YESonSB250.com