California Legislation on Animals, as of April 1, 2010 (List S)

[Guest guest]

Paw PAC

PO Box 475012, SF 94147

2010 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION

as of April 1, 2010

NEXT LEGISLATIVE MEETING:

APRIL 5, ROOM 113. 10:30 TO

12:30

STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, SACRAMENTO

ALL ANIMAL ADVOCATES WELCOME

ASSEMBLY

AB 979 by Assemblyman Tom Berryhill re: Hunting. Oppose.

Prohibits any local ordinance that limits

hunting.

Next Hearing: Senate Floor.

Write: Your Senator. Tell him/her that AB

979, introduced in 2009, is another attempt by hunters to prohibit locals from

having any power over hunting in their communities.

 

AB 1254 by Assemblyman Tom Berryhill re: Tresspassing.

Repeals current law on trespassing saying it

is redundant.

Next Hearing: Senate Natural Resources.

 

AB 1656 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma re: Fur Labeling.

Support.

Requires all fur products to declare the

species and country of origin.

Next Hearing: Assembly Floor. April 5

Write; Your Assembly Member. Tell him/her

that federal law requires labeling of fur worth over $150. A lot of fur is sold

in California under $150, often as trim. AB 1656 closes that loophole.

 

AB 1675 by Assemblyman Curt Hagman re: Tresspassing.

Makes it a misdemeanor to trespass at a zoo

or aquarium.

 

AB 1956 by Assemblyman Bill Monning re: Condors.

Concerns memorandums of understanding on the

feeding of condors.

Next Hearing: Assembly Approriations.

 

AB 1980 by Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi re: Animal

Shelters. Support.

Allows animals shelters to provide first aid

for injured animals.

Hearing: Assembly Business &

Professions.

Write: Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, Chair.

Thank her for introducing AB 1980. Animals come into shelters who need

immediate attention. AB 1980 makes it clear in the Veterinary Practices Act

that first aid can be given by shelters until the animal can get treatment from

a veterinarian.

 

AB 2012 by Assemblyman Ted Lieu re: Cruelty Penalties.

Revises penalties for animal cruelty to make

sections consistent that animal abusers can be charged with a misdemeanor or a

felony.

Hearing: Assembly Public Safety. April 10.

 

AB 2223 by Assemblyman Pedro Nava re: Lead Shot. Support.

Prohibits lead shot in designated wildlife

areas.

Hearing: Assembly Water, Parks &

Wildlife. April 13.

Write: Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Chair.

Tell him that lead is banned in products to protect the public yet is allowed

to poison our wildlife with lead bullets.

 

AB 2411 by Assemblyman Dave Jones re: Pet Insurance.

Support.

Provides regulation of pet insurance, such

as allowing pre-existing conditions. People buy pet insurance without being

fully informed.

Hearing: Assembly Insurance. April 7.

Write: Assemblyman Jose Solorio, Chair. Tell

him many people depend on insurance for medical care of their animals. They

need complete consumer information and protection of their animals’

health.

 

AB 2689 by Assemblyman Cameron Smyth re: Rabies

States intention to allow animal control to

use e-mail, computers, and faxes to have information on rabies vaccinations

which are required for dogs to be licensed.

 

AB 2716 by Assembly

Hearing: Assembly Local Government. April 21

 

ACA 11 by Assemblyman Bill Berryhill re: Hunting. Oppose.

Amends the Constitution to declare the right

to hunt/fish and say that only the Legislature or the Fish & Game

Commission can regulate hunting/fishing, specifically including

“traditional methods†such as “bows and arrows .â€

Hearing: Assembly Water, Parks &

Wildlife. April 13.

Write: Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Chair.

Tell him that ACA 11 is an attempt to prevent any initiative (such as those

passed on mountain lions and trapping) or local ordinance on wildlife

protection. Hunters know they can’t control the general public who

support wildlife protection .

 

ACA 13 by Assemblyman Ed Hernandez re: Initiatives

Requires that initiatives be given to the

Legislature for possible amendments and passed as a bill instead of going to

the ballot. Introduced in 2009, ACA 13 originally would have required

initiative proponents to accept amendments or have to submit more signatures

which would have crippled citizen intiatives. The requirement for additional

signatures has been removed.

Next Hearing: Assembly Floor.

 

SENATE

 

SB 250 by Senator Dean Florez re: Spay/Neuter. Support.

Requires dogs/cats to be spayed/neutered with

exemptions. SB 250 was introduced in 2009 but failed passage on the Assembly

Floor.

Next Hearing: Assembly Floor.

Write: Your Assembly Member. Tell him/her

that pet overpopulation costs the lives of animals and cities/counties millions

of dollars to kill them for lack of space in shelters.

 

SB 1058 Senator Tom Harman re: Hunting. Oppose.

Declares hunting and fishing to be

particularly desirable in state wildlife management areas and sets up the

Upland Game Bird Account and the Big Game Management Account in which the money

can only be used to enhance those hunting programs.

Next Hearing: Senate Apporpriations

Write: Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair. Tell

her that the vast majority of Californians support wildlife protection for

their own intrinsic value and that hunting is a priority of only 3% of the

population.

 

SB 1277 by Senator Dean Florez re: Animal Abuse

Registration. Support.

Requires those convicted of felony animal

abuse to register with local authorities and imposes a tax on pet food to pay

for the program making the information available to the public. Amendments

expected.

Hearing: Senate Public Safety. April 20.

Write: Senator Mark Leno, Chair. Tell him

animal abusers, like sex offenders, move from county to county to repeat their

crimes.

 

SB 1349 by Senator Dave Cogdill re: Endangered Species.

Would authorize the “take†of

some “endangered species.

 

SB 1417 by Senator Dave Cox re: Humane Officers. Oppose

Unless Amended.

Puts additional requirements on an

organization applying to a judge to appoint a humane officer. SB 1417 requires

that a humane society be in existence for five years before being able to have

a humane officer and that the judge confer with local law enforcement before

making the appointment.

Hearing: Senate Judiciary.

Write: Senator Ellen Corbett, Chair.

Tell her that while it is reasonable for judges to confer with local law

enforcement before giving someone humane officer status, it is unreasonable to

mandate a five year wait before that status can be considered. Humane officers

are essential to protect animals .

 

SB 1375 by Senator Calderon re: Kangaroos. Oppose.

Removes the meager provisions passed last

year on kangaroo product importation, such as not allowing importation if the

quota is increased. Kangaroos, like the baby seals in Canada, are killed

horribly by the many thousands. Although the US does not allow the importation

of baby seal skins, Adidas and the Australian government want kangaroo skins

for athletic shoes, which have been banned for many years, to be sold in

California with no restrictions.

Hearing: Senate Natural Resources

& Wildlife.

Write: Senator Fran Pavley, Chair. Remind

her that the Senate Natural Resources Committee passed the bill allowing these

importations with these meager provisions. That bill should have been killed in

that committee last year so it is not right for the committee to weaken it

further.

 

SJR 22 by Dean Florez re: Horses. Support.

Asks the President and Congress to support

federal legislation to protect horses from slaughter.

Next Hearing: Senate Floor.

Write: Your Senator. Tell him/her that

California has banned horse slaughter but we need a national ban to prevent our

California horses from being sent out of state, or Mexico or Canada to be

slaughtered

 

Budget

2010 budget once again

“suspends†the Hayden law which requires longer holding periods in

shelters. This “unfunded state mandate†has costs cities/counties

millions of dollars which the state is no longer willing/able to reimburse.

Although it is still on the books, the state will not pay for it and

cities/counties are not obliged to adhere to it.

 

CALIFORNIA FISH

& GAME COMMISSION

1416 -9TH

ST. SACRAMENTO, CA 95814

 

Bear Hunting. Oppose

Expands bear hunting by removing the quota

on numbers of bears to be killed, starting bear hunting in San Luis

Obispo County and expanding it in Lassen and Modoc Counties, allowing use of

high-tech devices to locate bears and “tip switches†on hound

collars when a bear has been treed and it expands the hound training season.

Next Hearing: April 8. 2600 Sand Dunes Dr.

Monterey

Write: Calif Fish & Game Commission.

Tell them that there is no justification to expand bear hunting or to allow

high tech devices for lazy, unethical hunters. According to law, wildlife

“belongs†to all the people of California who want them alive, not

just the tiny percentage of trophy hunters. Also, the Fish &

Game Code requires the Commission to “consider the welfare of individual

animals.â€

 

Turtle and Frog Importation Ban. Support.

Prohibits permits for turtles and frogs for

live animal markets.

Next Hearing: April 8. 2600 Sand Dunes Dr.

Monterey.

Write: Calif Fish & Game Commission.

Thank them for stopping the importation of millions of non-native frogs and

turtles who come in injured and diseased for the markets and are commonly

released into the wild competing and killing our native wildlife.

 

All legislators can be addressed: State Capitol Building,

Sacramento, California 95814.

 

Compiled by: Virginia Handley, Paw PAC,

415/646-0622, PO Box 475012, SF 94147.