ABA 363 Passed this afternoon!  The current vote, not including absentees is
currently 9-1 in favor.  Eight votes were needed to pass the bill.  This is
the first step, so keep tuned to the CFL webpage.  We've a great deal more
work ahead of us.
 
The hearing was a hard one and Committee Chairman of Water, Parks and
Wildlife, Mike Machado, appeared to be more interested in the oppositions
"concerns" (no factual evidence was presented on paper) than in hearing the
expert witnesses CFL brought with them (some of whom were not even given the
opportunity to speak).  Machado was the one dissenting vote.  CFL's expert
witnesses included Graham Wellstead from England, Dick Schumacher, DVM,
Executive Director of the CA Veterinary Medical Association, Freddie Ann
Hoffman, MD and V.P. of the AFA and (forgive me for this one, I didn't get
the names) a family who came to testify with their children on how great
ferrets are as pets.  Testifying for the oppositon were members of the CA
Farm Bureau, CA Waterfowl (Audobon - forgive the misspelling), F&G and a
family whose daughter was mauled my a ferret at the age of 27 days.
Unfortunately, the full circumstances of that event where not brought to
light, as severe neglect was involved and was documented by the animal
control officer's report who was called to the scene after the event
occurred.  The parents were not even present.  The little girl was
represented by the family attorney and her grandmother, who currently has
custody of her.
 
Members of CDFA, including Marie, Hildy and Bill were on hand as was Jeanne
and Floyd Carley, representing CFL and Margaret Wilton for the Golden State
Ferret Society .  The were several other supporters on hand, including
myself from FA and Scott Beisner (President of the Golden State Ferret
Society), who keeps up the CFL webpage, and Glen Quan, who did an admirable
job in putting together a document with the names of over 1000 ABA 363
supporters in the Bay Area, as well as many others who came to the hearing
to show their support.  We should applaud them all for their effortsand hard
work on this bill.
 
To those of you who wrote letters to the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee
member, thanks to you all.  You made a difference!  Please continue in your
efforts and we'll have an increased chance of getting this bill through the
remaining committees.  At this point we need to get through assembly
appropriations and then the bill goes to the floor of the assembly for the
final vote there.  After that we start all over with the Senate, so we are
looking at several more months before this is over, at least through the
summer.
 
Keep up the great work! :)  We furblurs appreciate it more than you know!
[Posted in FML issue 1904]