[ SHOWGSD-L ] it's a dirty game of lies..........AB 1634
- From: Peggy <pmick12@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: gsd list <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:18:10 -0400
from another list.........shared by Peggy
PET VOTE BREEDS DISCONTENT
AKC may pull major dog show [EUKANUBA]
from LONG BEACH after local lawmakers vote
in favor of neutering bill.
By Don Jergler, Staff writer PRESS Telegram / AP
June 8, 2007 2:14am
LONG BEACH - A pair of local Assembly members who voted for a bill to
require cats and dogs to be spayed and neutered broke their promises and
delivered
a multimillion-dollar blow to the city's economy, some bill opponents said
Thursday.
Assemblywoman Betty Karnette's and Assemblywoman Laura Richardson's votes on
Wednesday night for Assemblyman Lloyd Levine's AB 1634 helped pass it, 41-38.
Those votes, however, threaten the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in
Long Beach, which brought 30,000 people to the city last year, local tourism
officials said. They estimate that the AKC/Eukanuba show will have a $65
million
impact on the city's economy and $850,000 in hotel bed taxes through 2014.
Karnette and Richardson had told lobbyists and local tourism officials they
would abstain from supporting the bill to help keep the dog show in Long
Beach.
But the Democratic lawmakers maintained on Thursday that their votes
Wednesday gave them leverage to alter the bill, called the California Healthy
Pets
Act, at a later date, to make it more breeder-friendly, although what changes
they sought were not clear Thursday.
The bill would require most cats and dogs four months old and up to be
spayed or neutered. Failure to do so could result in a $500 fine for owners.
Levine said the bill was needed to ease a huge population of unwanted pets
that is costing state and local governments $300 million a year.
The bill includes several exceptions, including for show animals, police
dogs and guide dogs and for animals that are too old or ill to be spayed or
neutered.
Many breeders and dog owners say the bill adds unneeded bureaucracy, and
that collected fees would go toward maintaining the program's bureaucratic
infrastructure.
Levine's bill passed the Assembly floor with 41 "aye" votes - meaning
abstentions or "no" votes by Karnette and Richardson would have killed the
bill,
which now heads to the state Senate.
"AKC is very frustrated that two representatives at the Assembly level for
the city of Long Beach voted `yes' on a bill when they had previously told
others that they would abstain," said Steve Goodling, president and CEO of the
Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. "They feel that their value to the
city is not being recognized."
The group's 600 delegates will gather at a quarterly meeting in Las Vegas on
Monday, and Goodling believes there's a chance those delegates will seek
cancellation of the contract to hold the show in Long Beach.
"Their membership is furious with what transpired in the Assembly
yesterday," Goodling said. "There is concern that their members will ask that
they
explore their existing contract."
The last show was in December, and the group has signed contracts to hold
shows in Long Beach this year, and in 2008, with a verbal agreement for 2009,
according to the CVB.
The group has asked the CVB to hold dates through 2014, Goodling said.
"They wanted Long Beach to be their home for this show," Goodling said.
The show garners live coverage on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.
"It's a big disappointment and it will be a big loss for the city of Long
Beach," Goodling said.
He said the CVB and local lobbyists are talking to state Senators and the
governor's office, but that all may be too late because of Monday's meeting.
"Everything at the moment is in jeopardy," he said.
Both Karnette and a spokesman for Richardson confirmed the lawmakers had
promised not to support the bill.
"That's what I told my office and I told the lobbyists," said Karnette,
adding, "Democracy is the art of negotiations."
"The author has agreed to really work on the bill," Karnette said, adding, "I
have made no promise to continue to support it.
"The idea of all these animals being killed bothers all of us. I care about
tourism a great deal. And I really do understand the concerns. I think we can
work out the problems."
Stan Diorio with Richardson's office said her vote was a strategic move to
convince Levine that he needs her support for final passage of the bill.
"She leveraged her vote to get a commitment from him to work with (the
breeders)," he said.
Richardson was not immediately available for comment.
A lobbyist for AKC said the votes by Karnette and Richardson have already
generated negative feelings about Long Beach from several members.
"It's already true that there are individual dog owners and breeders who are
not interested in participating in a show in Long Beach because of what's
happened," said lobbyist Jeff Leacox.
Long Beach Police Officers Association President Steve James, who takes up
many local lobbying causes, was upset with the pair.
"I was given the very distinct impression that Laura would not be supporting
the bill," James said. "Staff assured us she was not going to be voting for
the bill. We got the same assurance from (Karnette's) office that she would
not be supporting it."
He added, "There's a lot of animosity right now for both of these
legislators. It certainly appears to be underhanded for both of them say one
thing and
then vote for this bill."
Don Jergler can be reached at _don.jergler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:don.jergler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) or (562) 499-1281. The Associated
Press contributed
to this report.
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2007. 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 - www.showgsd.org
============================================================================
Other related posts:
- » [ SHOWGSD-L ] it's a dirty game of lies..........AB 1634
