[ SHOWGSD-L ] From CFA<>CA AB241 on Governor's desk
- From: Stormy Hope <Stormy435@xxxxxxx>
- To: DaList list <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:30:12 -0700
The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc.
CA AB 241 - September 18, 2009
Appropriate forwarding is appreciated
ACTION IS NEEDED NOW- from all California clubs and pet lovers.
This bill would make it a criminal offense for any person to have
possession
of a total of 50 sexually intact "adult" cats or dogs (or both combined)
without regard to the quality of the care of the animals. By creating
new
crimes and imposing new duties on local animal control agencies, this
bill
would impose a state-mandated local program upon local governments.
The bill has already passed BOTH houses of the California Legislature
and is
now ready for the Governor's action. IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED from
clubs/organizations and individuals to call or write the Governor to
urge
him to veto this bill.
Anyone who possesses more than 50 sexually intact "adult" cats and
dogs may
be charged with a misdemeanor for each violation. Adult is defined as 4
months of age. AB 241 provides that any person that must reduce the
number
of unsterilized dogs or cats in order to comply with this section
shall spay
or neuter the excess animals or sell, transfer, or relinquish the excess
animals within 30 days. If necessary, any euthanasia procedures shall be
performed by a California licensed veterinarian. The bill would
authorize
certain officers to seize an animal kept in violation of the limits, as
specified.
ACTION TO TAKE:
INDIVIDUALS/ORGANIZATIONS (clubs, rescue groups, etc.) must call or
fax to
Governor Schwarzenegger immediately to ask that he VETO this bill. He
could
act on it at any time. Contact information is included below.
Suggested points in opposition and contact information are listed below.
Please call or write Governor Schwarzenegger immediately to ask that
he VETO
this bill.
George Eigenhauser
CFA Legislative Coordinator
********************
(1) If you are writing please FAX your letter to be sure it arrives
quickly.
2) Reference the title - Re: AB 241, requesting VETO
3) Begin your letter by stating that your club (state name) is OPPOSED
to
AB 241 and you are asking the Governor to VETO the bill. If you are an
out
of state breed clubs with members in California, please be sure to
note that
fact.
4) Don't worry too much about substance; the goal is to express your
opposition. One page is ideal - 2 pages are OK. Try to focus on the
fiscal
impact of this bill.
5) Put comments in your own words so the letters do not appear to be
"form".
You may use the samples below - make only a few brief points.
6) Conclude your letter by again stating your opposition to the Bill;
thank
the Governor and again ask that he VETO AB 241.
SUGGESTED POINTS (taken from previous CFA alert):
** AB 241 is an unfunded mandate on local government. The implementation
and enforcement of this bill could require additional resources. It will
only further burden the counties and municipalities and divert limited
resources that would be better utilized elsewhere.
** Large scale breeders are already licensed and inspected by the USDA.
This bill would create an unnecessary duplication of effort. Better
results
could be obtained through cooperation with the federal inspectors and
enforcement of existing laws.
** AB 241 is unnecessary and fails to address the well being of the
animals.
Existing laws prohibit cruelty to cats and dogs and make it a
misdemeanor to
permit an animal to be kept without proper care and attention. The
number
50 is arbitrary and unrelated to the care and condition of the animals.
** The author's stated purpose of this bill is to address concerns
related
to animal health and safety resulting from unregulated "puppy mills."
Supporters claim that "puppy mills" engage in overcrowding of animals,
outdoor enclosures, female dogs bred continuously, and conditions of
malnutrition, exposure, and lack of adequate veterinary care. All of
these
concerns could be addressed by enforcing existing law. NONE of these
concerns are addressed by AB 241.
** Commercial breeding operations need sales volume to cover expenses.
Limiting the number of intact animals encourages more frequent breeding,
inbreeding and other poor husbandry and may reduce the health of the
animals
produced. This could lead to an increase in relinquishments at local
shelters. This cost would be borne by local governments.
** Persons over the new limit may surrender the "excess" cats and dogs
to
local shelters which are already overburdened.
** The bill is poorly written and the arbitrary limit on the number of
animals.
PLEASE NOTE: The Governor has not seen your previous letters to the
legislature so it is acceptable to repeat arguments you may have used
before. HOWEVER, there have been amendments to the bill over the past
months (such as defining "adult" which was left out of the original
version.) If you repeat a previous point please be sure it still
applies to
the final bill.
Contact information for the Governor is listed below. Please note that
the
fax number is new. Instructions for navigating the Governor's automated
phone system to log your opposition are included below. The automated
phone
line is on 24/7 and appears to accept calls from out of California.
Governor's Office:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160 (note new number)
To use the automated voicemail to express your opposition (you don't
need to
state your reason it is just counting numbers of calls for and against):
1. Call 916.445.2841
2. Press 1 for English
3. Press 2 for legislation and you will get options
4. Press 6 for AB 241
5. Press 2 to express your opposition to the bill
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