Hello All,
 
Some have implied that our ferret legalization efforts with Assemblyman
Paul Koretz' bill, AB 647, are dead.  That's frankly not the case.  When
our bill went to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the chair, Senator
Migden, told our author, Paul Koretz, that he had a two year bill, not
a dead bill.  And Assembly member Koretz is very, very committed to
beginning the process of correc ting the injustice that criminalizes
ferret owners in California.
 
Assemblymember Koretz wants to send AB 647 to the Governor's desk for
his signature.  Should this bill pass, it would begin the path to
legalization, a path which does include a study but it's a study that
even our best friends in the legislature (such as Senator Kuehl,
co-author) believe is necessary in order to not damage CEQA, the
California Environmental Quality Act.  CEQA was also mentioned by the
Governor in his veto message when he vetoed SB 55.  So, much as I oppose
the waste of time and money for a study of this issue, it is clearly part
of the political landscape necessary to allow our issue to move ahead.
 
The instance upon a CEQA process, by friends and foes alike, is also one
of the many reasons why the initiative process is not appropriate for
this issue.  Should the ferret initiative make the ballot, the press,
when interviewing Senator Kuehl or the Governor about this issue, would
report her concerns that the ferret initiative would circumvent CEQA
thereby damaging a celebrated California Environmental Protection Act.
The initiative would then be seen by th e public as a threat to CEQA (we
would be seen as trying to go around CEQA) rather than as an attempt to
simply remove a domesticated animal from a list of wildlife.
 
One thing I've learned about the press is that they are very, very lazy
on the ferret issue.  They simply interview Fish and Game or other
opponents and then ferret folks but never take the time to really look
at the facts (such as Fish and Game's own very revealing study showing
no feral ferrets, the United States Department of Agriculture's
classification of the ferret as domesticated).  In the absence of more
investigative reporting what comes across is simply our word against the
authorities, the experts.  It's a sad but true fact of life and would
easily color the outcome of any vote.  And since ferret proponents have
no advertising budget we could not counter any misinformation or
disinformation about ferrets and the environment.  There's a lot of money
spent in the initiative process for issues that touch, and are known by,
the majority of households such as taxes, redistricting, insurance etc.
These are the kinds of issues that have a lot of money and people behind
them and lend themselves to the initiative process.  Ferret legalization
is simply not one of them.
 
Both of the lobbyists most active on this issue in Sacramento, ours and
the pet industry's have told me that a failed ferret initiative will stop
legalization dead in it's tracks for quite some time.  Both legislators
and judges confronted with this issue could point to a vote by the
people of California against ferret legalization as a reason to not
address the issue should it come before them.  None of the professionals
sees the initiative process as an intelligent option, especially since
we don't know in advance the answer to the question, "Would most
Californians support ferret legalization?"
 
Backers of the ferret initiative should have spent the money (around
$2,000.00 I understand) to poll Californians on this issue in advance
of undertaking something that, if it fails, could slam the door shut
for quite some time, perhaps forever.  As any good attorney will tell
you, you don't ask a question unless you know the answer.  This is what
proponents of the initiative process are doing, asking the question
before they know the answer.  And what if the answer is no?  If it is,
that's all the proponents will have to do is point to a no vote and say
"the people of California have spoken."
 
I also have to remind folks that about $300 million was spent in
advertising for the last round of initiatives.  Even if the issue
qualified for the ballot (the possibility is so remote it's the only
reason I'm not losing too much sleep over this), legalization proponents
would have no $$ to combat any lies told or misinformation that would
sway public opinion about an animal that is known only to a small
percentage of the population.
 
So, with all of this said, I encourage you to do two things:
 
1) See this bill out.  Let's finish what we started.  We're more than
half way to the Governor's desk, having passed four of the six hurdles.
AB 647 has passed the Assembly Policy Committee vote, the Assembly
Appropriations Committee vote, the Assembly Floor vote and the Senate
Policy Committee Vote.  It has two more hurdles before the Governor's
desk, the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Floor.  Now
is the time to write to your State Senator and ask him/her to support
AB 647.  I can't tell you how many people ask me when ferrets will be
legalized but when I ask if they've written to their representative they
tell me they have not.  This will not happen just because you want it to.
Your legislator is not a mind reader.  You must contact them and tell
them to support Mr. Koretz' bill, AB 647.  Write even if you have written
last year, write again, now please.  You can find out who represents you
by visiting our web site and clicking on Legislators-- Know your Local
Representative.
 
http://www.ferretnews.org/legislators.html
 
2) Help us finish the bill out with the representation in Sacramento it
needs by supporting our lobbyist Bob Naylor.  Bob was Republican Assembly
Whip and is now one of the most respected lobbyists in Sacramento.  It's
a plus that he's with a Republican lobbying firm because he has direct
communication with members of the Governors staff and we want to pass a
bill the Governor can sign.
 
Limited funds last year meant we could not use Bob's help when we needed
it most and I believe had we been able to afford more of his help we
might have seen the Governor's veto coming.
 
This will be my last year working in Sacramento on this issue and Bob
has given this issue a discount because he knows my family so I doubt
we'll have representation of his caliber in the future.  I strongly urge
you to help now.  Please take a moment to make out a check to:
 
Nielsen Merksamer
 
But please mail the check to me so I can forward them in a batch and the
firm knows what they are for.  Mail your donation to:
 
Jeanne Carley
410 Mountain Home Road
Woodside, CA 94062
 
Also, if you have any more signatures to contribute, please go ahead and
send those in now.
 
Thanks,
Jeanne
 
P.S.  I will be at the Ferrets Anonymous Roundup on March 25th in
Pasadena if any of you are interested in attending.  Details are on
the Ferrets Anonymous web site, http://www.ferretsanonymous.com
[Posted in FML issue 5172]