Hello all,
 
I need to let you know that I was in a serious accident when a pit bull
attacked my horse two weeks ago.  I was thrown to the pavement and, in
spite of wearing a helmet, my neck was broken in two places.  My knee was
wrenched as well, so I'm going to be somewhat limited in terms of what I
can do for this next ferret amnesty bill.  I won't be able to respond to
individual e-mails so unless it's an emergency, please wait for the
updates.  But keep in mind that in the end, it's not what I do that will
effect the outcome of this bill, it's what you do, whether you become
involved and write to your representatives or whether you sit back and
watch.
 
Sometime in the next few weeks a new ferret amnesty bill will be
introduced in the CA State Legislature by Senator Dede Alpert, D-San
Diego.  This bill, should it pass both the Senate and the Assembly and be
signed by the Governor, would grandfather in the ferrets that are here in
the state that meet certain requirements such as spay/neuter, vaccination
against rabies and registration with DFG (there will be a registration
fee to offset the cost of a state study on the possible impact of ferrets
on the environment).  The Fish and Game Commission will then review the
study and decide whether or not to remove ferrets from the prohibited
species list.  I will pass along the language of the bill to you as soon
as it is introduced.
 
Those of you who have been around this issue should know that the final
form of the bill depends upon many things, it may be altered as it
moves through the various committees, and it's passage is by no means
guaranteed.  To have the best chance of passage, EVERY ONE OF YOU, who
lives in CA must write to both your State Senator and State
Assemblymember urging them to support the bill.
 
I've learned to not be overly hopeful regarding the success of our
efforts, in part because I hear from so many people that have never
written to their representatives either out of ignorance, or because
they are lazy, or because they are afraid that their letter might
somehow incriminate them.
 
I don't know how to motivate people who don't care, but for those of you
who are afraid, let me tell you that I have testified in front of every
legislative committee on this issue for the last 9 years, have
represented California's ferret lovers in meetings with Fish and Game,
the media, and many Fish and Game Commission Hearings.  I've NEVER had a
problem!  Why?  Because I don't own any ferrets and, at least for public
purposes (that means letters to your representatives), neither do you!
 
Fish and Game cannot come into your home without a search warrant.  The
only way that get that is from a judge to whom probable cause has been
demonstrated.  Probable cause is NOT a letter to your representative
supporting a change in the law.  Otherwise, the thousands of ferret
lovers who have written would all have been vicitimized by DFG and that
hasn't and won't happen.
 
If you don't write, the law will never change and you'll have to live
with that.
 
What's different about this year is that our bill is authored by Senator
Dede Alpert (D) San Diego.  She is not the first author to care deeply
about this issue-- all of our author's have.  But she is our first
democratic author in a democratic legislature with a democratic governor.
But she can't do this alone.  In the end, your participations will have a
lot to do with whether this bill passes or not, so don't let this
opportunity go by.
 
To find out who represents you in Sacramento, simply visit our webiste
and click on "Know your local representative" or visit this link:
 
http://www.ferretnews.org/legislators.html
 
All you have to do then is to type in your zip code and you will be told
who represents you in the State Capitol.  Please write to both your State
Senator and State Assemblymember.  You must use your name and address so
your representative knows you are a constituent.  If you are not willing
to write, your legislator will not know there is support for legalizing
ferrets and frankly there's not much chance we will ever change this
ridiculous law.
 
When you write your letter, if you do not include your name and address,
your letter will be thrown out and will not be of any help.  The reason
is simple.  Your representative needs to know you are a constituent and
that you live in his or her district.  They do not want to be influenced
by people outside their district.  Absolutely nothing will happen to you
by including your name and address.  Your letter does not say you own
ferrets but simply that you know the law is wrong.  Too many people did
not write to their State Representatives in the past and that has led to
the failure of our efforts to change the law.  Whether or not ferrets
ever become legalized in California is really up to you.  Don't assume
others will write for you, write your letters now!
 
Keep your letters to a single page and to help you can use our ferret
fact sheet to frame your arguments.  You can find a copy by visiting
this link:
 
http://www.ferretnews.org/fact1.html
 
Jeanne Carley
[log in to unmask]
www.ferretnews.org
[Posted in FML issue 4026]