-----Original Message----- I am cross posting this from another group. PERMISSION TO CROSS POST ALBUQUERQUE EMERGENCY: ONLY 35 DAYS TO FORCE HEART TO A PUBLIC VOTE A referendum petition aimed at Albuquerque registered voters has only 35 days to garner enough valid signatures (17,458) to refer the so-called HEART (Albuquerque's Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment) ordinance to an "up" or "down" vote in Albuquerque. Drafted over three years by City Councilor Sally Mayer with the help of AR groups and passed by six of nine city councilors after months of delays followed by heated public hearings, the bloated and burdensome HEART ordinance becomes Albuquerque City law upon the signature of a seventh individual, the Mayor, who has publicly declared his intention to sign. The city charter then allows only 35 days and requires 17,458 valid signatures to petition for the right to force HEART to a vote by the Albuquerque electorate. A "down" vote would override the city council and the mayor. It will be necessary to collect 25,000 to 30,000 signatures to be assured of having the required number of valid signatures. If HEART is not stopped, it will affect the entire State of New Mexico. WE NEED HELP - LOTS OF IT - TO GET SIGNATURES OF REGISTERED VOTERS IN ALBUQUERQUE. The Albuquerque ordinance contains the usual (and usually absurd) AR provisions (no leash longer than eight feet permitted, "premises shall be kept in such a way that no animal has the opportunity. to get splinters from wooden boards" or that "a motor vehicle operator who strikes a [skunk or a lizard] shall immediately call 911"), but absurdities become serious business, when you realize that under HEART, the charge for being caught using a flexi-lead or for failing to report hitting a skunk is ANIMAL CRUELTY and you're left to explain an animal cruelty conviction to the AKC or UKC or on your next employment application or security clearance. No doubt the AR will then point to the rising "animal cruelty" convictions to justify further onerous and intrusive provisions in subsequent ordinances. The HEART Ordinance would also require an ANNUAL fee hike from $25 to $150 for each intact animal. Of greater concern, however, is that the fee would no longer be defined as a "license" fee, but rather a "permit" and would allow the city to inspect the residence of the permit holder "upon reasonable notice." A Litter Permit (valid for six months) with a $150 fee is also required for each pregnant animal. That the fees are far out of context with the New Mexico economy (compare them to the $60 intact animal fee recently passed in Los Angeles) is of concern, but by far the gravest concern is that the ordinance empowers the Mayor to issue at will a "moratorium" on permits. With pet stores under HEART prohibited from selling dogs and cats and with a moratorium declared on Litter Permits, the AR will have obtained their goal of making shelter animals the only legally obtainable pets within the city of Albuquerque. A moratorium on Intact Animal Permits conjures up an even more nightmarish scenario. With Intact Animal Permits good for only one year what happens to the law-abiding, conscientious exhibitors, whose dogs and addresses are known to the City, when due to a moratorium their Intact Animal Permits cannot be renewed?? Ron Gustafson, ron.gustafson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, phone 505-864-3513, is spear-heading the petition drive. Contact him directly for information or for copies of the petition. The petition and ordinance are also posted on the New Mexico Animal Control Forum discussion group, in the FILES section - under the HEART Referendum Petition folder (both as JPEG and PDF). To access the FILES section, please request to join the list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VCNM_Animal_Control_Forum/ ALL HELP IS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED!! ===================== Ps... if you don't think the moratorium can happen... think again. The Mayor is on VERY, VERY good terms with ARistas. Ginger Cleary, Rome, GA "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on." ~ Winston Churchill www.rihadin.com ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues ============================================================================