Hello everyone,
 
Yesterday the Department of Fish and Game sent the following letter to the
author of our bill, several of our co-authors and to Assemblymember Carole
Migden.
 
"The Department of Fish and Game (Department) appreciates your interest
in the issue of ferret legalization and your recognition of the need for
a thorough environmental review prior to such legalization.  As you know,
the Fish and Game Commission in April 2000 indicated its willingness to
consider ferret legalization upon the submission of such a report.
 
SB 1093 would appropriate $250,000 from the General Fund for the purpose
of conducting the ferret environmental impact report (EIR).  Although we
support the preparation of an EIR, we believe it is inappropriate to use
General Funds for this purpose.  A more appropriate source of funding for
this EIR is the ferret advocates and the pet industry that are pushing for
legalization.  This would ensure that the people most interested in ferret
legalization, rather than the general taxpayers, fund this effort.
 
For this reason, the Department is opposed to your bill in its current
form."
 
David Bunn
Director of Legislative Affairs
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
This is absolutely outrageous and is designed to make sure that ferret
legalization goes nowhere!
 
There is NO MONEY for such a study from ferret folks and they know this.
 
DFG also knows that the pet industry hasn't funded any of our bills in
any way.  They have never signed up an author, ferret supporters did that.
They've never paid for mailings, we have!  In fact, under amnesty they
wouldn't have seen any change in their profit margin because ferrets
wouldn't be sold here!  DFG has continued to try to portray this bill as
something it's not and it's up to you to show the Governor and your State
Representatives that this isn't a question of profit but of basic fairness,
and your right to choose your own domesticated companion animal!
 
I urge all of you to sit down TONIGHT and write a letter to both Governor
Davis AND to both of your State Representatives letting them know that to
hold owners or folks who want to own this gentle domesticated companion
animal hostage to an expensive environmental study is WRONG.  As your
friends and neighbors to write as well.  Even if you have written before,
write again, NOW!
 
Let the Governor and your State Representatives know that ferret owners in
this state should be decriminalized for doing something that is legal in
every state on the continent!  You MUST write these letters!  Do not let
this outrageous position go without comment.
 
I know there are some of you who don't think your letters count but they
can and they do if you write them.  There was a banking privacy bill by
Senator Speier that was DOA in committee UNTIL the public wrote in about it
and the bill was resurrected!!!  Your letters count, but not if you just
think about it or assume someone else will write.  They only count if you
write them!!!!
 
To write to the Governor, write to:
 
Governor Gray Davis
Governor's Office
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
 
To write to your State Representative visit our website and click on "Know
Your Local Representatives".  Enter your zip code and you'll be told who
represents you.
 
Jeanne Carley
Californians for Ferret Legalization
410 Mountain Home Rd.
Woodside, CA 94062
(650) 851-3750
www.ferretnews.org
 
[Moderator's note: Unofficial editorial on.
And what about CA F&G's *own* study which they supressed because the
study couldn't show ferrets were be a threat?  The way I understand it,
the study's already been done -- get another one done and F&G will object
to the method.  So they'll do it themselves and the results will never be
made public.  No thanks... "we don't need no stinking study".  Or however
that goes.  Unofficial editorial off.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 3518]