SB250 TO APPROPRIATIONS ON JULY 15th
Letters Need To Go Now
Organizations and groups that are opposed to SB250 need to get their letters in as soon as possible. The title should say - Oppose - As amended. Information on where to send letters
will be found on www.SB250.org or www.cdoca.org.
Please fax your letter. If you are concerned that your letter may again "go missing", you may fax a copy to CDOC at 818-332-9690. We will fed ex the letters up to the Committee a week prior to the date (July 7th).
You also need to write individual letters to your representative on Appropriations. If you do not have one, pick a Democrat and have your friends in their district send letters.
If the Summerfest Cluster will allow it, CDOC will have a table to help you get your individual letters off to legislators this Saturday and Sunday.
Attached are the overall results for the Interclub Competition. The individual Club scores will be sent separately to each Club with a list of their members showing. Thank you.
FLOREZ GETS SB250 ASSIGNED TO B&P
Nothing in the proposed ordinance relates to committee.
SB250 has been assigned to a Committee. As anticipated, Florez was able to get this assigned to the Business and Professions committee in spite of the fact that no businesses or professions are affected. When AB1634 was in the Assembly, it required action from veterinarians. This bill does not.
So you need to mark June 30th on your calendar!
On June 2nd the Committee Consultant advised CDOC that letters needed to be in early if they are to be counted. That means your Clubs, organizations and businesses need to get their letters in right awa y. While they will not list letters from individuals she said they MAY include the count in the analysis.
When this bill was in the Senate, dog people, while writing to one another, were largely silent. One of the things that is in our favor is that there are many more of us that vote than there are of animal rights people. So make your voice count and let your views be heard.
When you write your letter, be sure you state Oppose SB 250 As Proposed to be Amended - and then note in the letter that you are aware of the amendments, but do not believe they are sufficient.
While we have been following the amendments closely they continue to be aimed at responsible owners and owned dogs - resulting in more deaths and higher costs. After 5:00 pm PST you will be able to find sample letters under the Resources tab at www.sb250.org.
The B&P Committee meets at 9:30 am on Tuesdays.
Letters should be sent to
Rebecca May
Associate Consultant
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-319-3301
916-319-3306
You also need to send a copy to every member of the Business and Professions Committee as well as your own Assembly Member.
Addresses are here.
You will also find more information on SB250 and the reasons it should be defeated at www.sb250.org.
If you work as hard on defeating SB 250 as you did on AB1634, it will fail. And, when you read the text, you will see that this is a much worse bill. If you sell or give away and dog and do not go through all the new legislative hoops that this bill requires, you can lose your right to ever own an intact dog again. Giving a dog to your parents or your children or your sister or the service organization you support is all it takes to trigger this.
Making a mistake on the sales tax issue on a dog also would trigger the penalty against owning an intact dog.
The owner, custodian, applicant, or licensee has violated a
state law, or a city, county, or other local governmental provision
relating to the care and control of animals.
This is not the time for apathy. This is the time to make calls, send fa xes, send emails and make sure that the thousands of dog organizations in California get their letters into the Committee THIS WEEK.
PERMISSION TO CROSS POST
FLOREZ GETS HIS REWARD FROM THE AR GROUPS
Dean Florez' sudden interest in animal rights has coincided with his decision to seek higher office. As a 501(c)3 CDOC cannot endorse or work against candidates, but as an educational organization, we find this of interest.
FROM JUDIE MANCUSO TO HER SUPPORTERS
Dear Friends:
Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez has been at the forefront of legislation that protects our companion animals from unnecessary euthanasia. But you may not know about his work legislating better treatment for farm animals, or his efforts to protect our food supply from dangerous toxins. He is truly an outstanding advocate for animals and our environment.
Senator Florez recently announced that he is running for California Lieutenant Governor in 2010. This is such an important opportunity to support an animal-friendly Legislator that I felt compelled to send out a note to SCIL supporters recommending that you support Dean's campaign.
If your feel as I do that we need compassionate Legislators in higher office, please visit his website at www.DeanFlorez.com, and please consider supporting his 30 by 30 campaign, where he asks committed animal advocates to pledge $30 by June 30th to help his campaign get off to a great start.
There are only 10 more days to participate in the 30 by 30 program... and June 30th is an important initial fundraising deadline for candidates seeking to demonstrate their viability for office. I can tell you from personal experience that Senator Florez is committed to making life better for Californians, is well-respected in Sacramento, has earned his reputation of being honest and hard-working, and deserves our support.
Thank you for everything you do as a true animal advocate.
Best regards,
Judie Mancuso
President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)
A 501(c)(4 ) non-profit organization focused on reducing pet overpopulation through legislation.
FUND RAISER FOR CD OC ACTION
Handling Secrets Uncovered
The proceeds from the sale of Handling Secrets Uncovered are going into CDOC Action - our lobbying and legal affiliate. These monies will be used to pursue our litigation against the City of Los Angeles and we will build a fund available in California and across the United States to oppose legislation that is bad for the health of dogs and restricts the rights of responsible dog owners. We believe ed ucational presentations like this are an excellent way to make sure that, as a community of dog people, we have the funds we need to opposed radical animal rights groups. We thank you for your participation and support.
In speaking with one representative, it was pointed out that there was much more activity with AB 1634 than with SB 250 from the opposition. It is very important that everyone who is affected by SB 250 take on an active roll in letter writing, phone calls, and/or visits as much as possible. While e-mail is not the most favored method of receiving opinions from their constituents, if that is all you can do it is better than nothing. Please encourage club members, training groups, exhibitors, owners, etc to take a pledge of action against SB 250.
SB 250, as of Friday morning, was still in the Rules Committee waiting assignment. The rumor is that since AB 1634 went to Business and Professions, SB 250 will go there as well. However, when AB 1634 was introduced there was a veterinarian reporting component that made it part of "professions" interest. SB 250 has no such component. It should rightfully go to the Assembly Local Government. It depends upon the push by the author (Florez) and the committee's interpretation of the bill.
While we are waiting, it is a good time to write your individual assembly representative and let t hem know that as a responsible pet owner, you agree with spay/neuter of pets but not the use of mandatory spay/neuter as policy or penalty. You can use the following talking points:
1. No where mandatory spay/neuter has been set as policy or punishment has it worked.
2. The Santa Cruz model has shown a decline over the last five years but only after a very significant increase in euthanasia right after MSN was adopted and a huge spike in operating expenses. Surrounding communities enjoyed a more rapid rate of decline than Santa Cruz and without MSN.
3. With a $24 billion deficit in our State budget, we cannot afford another unfunded mandate. Whether the state reimburses the costs or the local governments have to pay the entire costs, it is still money being diverted from critical programs such as health/welfare and schools.
4. Nothing in SB 250 provides any incentive for compliance. We do not have a statewide spay/neuter subsidy program for the low income and seniors on fixed incomes. These classes of citizens will be forced to either break the law or surrender their intact family pets.
5. Every intact family pet surrendered is another animal set for euthanasia in our shelters. Either the surrendered fa mily pet or a homeless animal that would have otherwise been adopted...this is unfair to the animals already in our shelters. We do not need to increase the population!
Update & Amendments for California SB250 (Dogs and Cats: Spaying and Neutering)
A request was made by Sen. Kehoe (and passed) during yesterday's Senate Floor session to waive the two-day rule regarding second readings and move all bills to third readings at this time. Sen. Steinberg also informed that the Senate will meet every day next week ... at noon on Monday and at 9am all other days.
Please note that SB250 is File Item #108 for a third reading in the Senate (eligible for a vote) on Monday, 1 June 2009. Sen. Florez's most recent amendments are included here (see below).
This afternoon I spoke with the Senate Appropriations Office, Sen. Steinberg's office, and Sen. Kehoe's office. She is Chair of Senate Appropriations. While bill authors can inform the Committee if they want a particular bill to remain in suspense or come off the suspense file, it is the Committee "leadership" that determines which bills are "off the file" and which bills will stay "on the file."
Tomorrow, Sen. Dean Florez can ask for SB250 to come out of suspense based on his new amendments.
Here is the interesting part: According to my conversation with one of the Appropriations member offices, when the Senators on the Appropriations Committee vote tomorrow to either keep SB250 in suspense or send it to the floor, they will be voting without a review of the new amendments. I was told that the amendments will go out to the Senators after the vote is taken.
There will most likely be little, if any, further discussion tomorrow in Committee as the purpose is to address all of the bills in the suspense file. Does a bill remain in suspense? Does a bill move to Senate floor?
Things may happen very quickly tomorrow. There are three other bills to be heard in Appropriations for the regular order of business and approximately 158 bills "for vote only." SB250 is one of these bills.
SUSPENSE - FOR VOTE ONLY - AUTHORS NEED NOT BE PRESENT
Sen. Florez has indicated that he will have his new amendments available on 28 May that will "take care of the cost." I expressed my concerns to each office today that no one has seen these amendments that will be arriving at the 11th hour. (For the record, Sen. Florez does have until Friday, 29 May, to have floor amendments if he does not have them tomorrow. The amendments must be physically put across the desk no later than 3:30pm on Friday.)
When I queried Sen. Steinberg's office "if" lots of calls are coming in for SB250, the answer was "no." Same response with Sen. Kehoe's office and the other offices of the Appropriations Committee members. I found this surprising.
When I discussed SB250 with Steinberg's office, they asked (without checking) who the author is and suggested I try calling the author regarding the availability of amendments for the bill. I said "The author is Dean Florez." Their response "Oh!" They said nothing more. My interpretation: Good luck! (Sen. Florez sits at the right hand of Sen. Steinberg.)
It is crucially important that everyone pick up the phone and make phone calls tonight. When they come in to their respective offices in the morning, they must listen to every message.
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!
Thank you.
Brat Zinsmaster
Sen. Darrell Steinberg
Phone: (916) 651-4006
Fax: (916) 323-2263
Senate Appropriations Committee Members
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair, D-39
State Capitol, Room 5050
Phone: (916) 651-4039
Fax: (916) 327-2188
Senator David Cox, Vice-Chair, R-1
State Capitol, Room 2068
Phone: (916) 651-4001
Fax: (916) 324-2680
Senator Ellen Corbett, D-10
State Capitol, Room 5108
Phone:(916) 651-4010
Fax: (916) 327-2433
Senator Jeff Denham, R-12
State Capitol, Room 3076
Phone: (916) 651-4012
Fax: (916) 445-0773
Senator Mark DeSaulnier, D-7
State Capitol, Room 2054
Phone: (916) 651-4007
Fax: (916) 445-2527
Senator Loni Hancock, D-9
State Capitol, Room 3092
Phone: (916) 651-4009
Fax: (916) 327-1997
Senator Mark Leno, D-3
State Capitol, Room 4061
Phone: (916) 651-4003
Fax: 916 445-4722
Senator Jenny Oropeza, D-28
State Capitol, Room 5114
Phone: (916) 651-4028
Fax: (916) 323-6056
Senator George Runner, R-17
State Capitol, Room 4090
Phone: (916) 651-4017
Fax: (916) 445-4662
Senator Mimi Walters, R-33
State Capitol, Room 3082
Phone: (916) 651-4033
Fax: (916) 445-9754
Senator Lois Wolk, D-5
State Capitol, Room 4032
Phone: (916) 651-4005
Fax: (916) 323-2304
Senator Mark Wyland, R-38
State Capitol, Room 4048
Phone: (916) 651-4038
Fax: (916) 446-7382
Senator Leland Yee, D-8
State Capitol, Room 4074
Phone: (916) 651-4008
Fax: (916) 377-2186
We feel that it is inhumane and irresponsible, once again penalizing the responsible pet owners and not getting to the root of the problem. Legislators should be addressing the larger fiscal issues that endanger the state's well being.
Associated Obedience Clubs of Northern California
Northern California’s leaders in Dog Obedience since 1950
At the end of every year, we like to look back at our accomplishment and review our goals.
One of the main purposes of the Association has been to act as a unifying source to the Obedience Clubs of Northern California.
Our Association dates back to 1950.…and is composed of licensed or member AKC Obedience clubs in Northern California.
Members in our group met quarterly, in or around the Bay Area, during the months of January, April, July, and October. We used these meetings to share information pertinent to the Fancy, to familiarize ourselves with the various activities the clubs offer, to have an opportunity to get to know each other and to become friends.
The Association is a non profit organization that works to further the work of the 18 AKC dog training clubs whose members make up the Association. We do this in a variety of ways.
Each year the Association sponsors two obedience events which are hosted by the members. The annual All Breed Obedience Workshop in February is our major fund raiser for the year and is open to all interested exhibitors.
The Interclub Obedience Competition is held in June. Recently Interclub has been expanded to include Rally Competition, CGC test, pre-novice class ,Wild Card Classes and a practice ring. We encourage Assn trainees to participate in Interclub so they can start off in Obedience with the support of their friends. Winners of the club competitions are awarded perpetual plaques and the individuals making up the teams are awarded Rosettes. We have included a participants’ Pot Luck at the end of the event in order to further camaraderie.
We support the work of the individual clubs in other ways as well. Clubs were acknowledged for their long term contributions to the Fancy with certificates for special trial anniversaries or founding years. We have award Appreciation Awards to individuals who have worked long and hard for the Association. Recipients have been Don and Jane Norton, Gerry Glanz, Ron and Lynn Cole, Melba and Earl Sheid. Yearly we hold a Presidents’ Appreciation luncheon inviting all the presidents of our clubs to be our special guests in order to honor them for the leadership they offer.
We have supported groups working on legislation and disaster rescue and offered scholaships and seminars.
On August 24th AOCNC offered a Wendy Wallaclel seminar in which Wendy shared her vast experience in training dogs. Her goal is to reach top performance with our dogs while having fun.
To further promote our Association clubs, you will find our full page ad in the Golden Gate KC catalogue. All clubs are listed along with a contact number. At our Education Table during the two days of GGKC, educational materials are offered to the public. Included in the materials we pass out is an AOCNC information sheet which the public may use as a reference in locating any one of our clubs. For the past several years, all of our clubs have been invited to provide ½ page fliers which are made available to the public giving information about a specific club.
Courtesy of Mt. Diablo DTC, you will find our ad in the Mt. Diablo DTC Dog Show/Trial Calendar. One more way to help the reader locate our clubs.
The Assn has provided courtesy seminars to the club members. We have featured speakers on Aggressive Dogs, Emergency First Aid and CPR for dogs, and Noah’s Ark Disaster Rescue. Plans are in the works for one in 2008.
One of our latest effort to promote the work of the Association members is the inauguration of this AOCNC web site (AOCNC.org) which connects all interested parties to our clubs’ mailing addresses and websites as well as to the Association and its events.
As you can see, AOCNC is a very productive group. All of us interested in Obedience benefit from the work that the Assn members undertake. If we can be of help to you, please contact us by using the information on this site.
