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April 8, 2025
AB 793 Passes Committee with Unanimous Vote
Action Alert for Mountain Lions and Bears, Need Calls - Hearings Coming Up!
Please Buy Your Ticket for Our Event!
| | L-R, Monica Miller, Nick Sackett, Shira Scott Astrof, Kenneth Korosi, Assemblymember Nick Schultz, Jill Ryther, Christine Garcia-Kelly, Mark Chacon, Autumn Williams. Click on photo to watch the hearing. | |
Today, AB 793, the Fairness to Dogs and Community Safety Act, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank) and cosponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation and the Los Angeles County Democrats for the Protection of Animals passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a vote of 12-0 in support. The bill aligns California law with six other states, including Delaware, New Jersey, and Ohio, by raising the level of proof required from the current "preponderance of the evidence" standard to "clear and convincing evidence" when deciding if a dog should be be euthanized because it cannot be reasonably and safely maintained through other means, such as required muzzling when in public, fencing, liability insurance, or other safety measures.
The bill also defines key terms such as "provocation", so that rulings are more uniform statewide. The bill now goes to the full Assembly for a vote.
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AB 1038 is set to be voted on by the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee on April 29th!
This bill will open up bear hunting with the use of dogs.
Please Call in Opposition!
We shouldn't be hunting bears at all, but hunting them with dogs is particularly cruel. Here are a few reasons to oppose this legislation:
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Inhumane hunting: There is no ethical hunting, but this process causes significant stress and harm to both the dogs and the bears, as it forces the animals into a confrontation. The dogs may get significantly injured by the aggressive chase or in confrontation with the bear. The dogs may injure the bears long before the hunters can catch up to, sadly, kill the bear and end its suffering. Suffering that shouldn't be endured to begin with!
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Effectiveness of the Approach: Reinstating dog-assisted bear hunting will not actually reduce human-bear conflicts. We should be focused on non-lethal methods such as relocation, better management of bear habitats, and education for the public on bear safety.
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Impact on Bear Populations: Allowing hunting with dogs does not target habituated bears. Most of this kind of hunting will be done in more remote areas where bears are not contributing to bear-human conflicts.
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Environmental Impact: Hunting with dogs disturbs other wildlife and ecosystems. California's wildlife and ecosystems are under tremendous stress due to climate change - we don't need to add to it by allowing packs of hunting dogs to rampage through our wilderness!
Call the numbers below and ask that they vote NO on AB 1038.
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Assembly Water, Parks, & Wildlife
Committee Member Information
Diane Papan (Chair)
916) 319-2021
Jeff Gonzalez (Vice Chair)
916) 319-2036
David A. Alvarez
916) 319-2080
Anamarie Ávila Farías
916) 319-2015
Jasmeet Kaur Bains
(916) 319-2035
Steve Bennett
(916) 319-2038
Tasha Boerner
(916) 319-2077
Jessica M. Caloza
(916) 319-2052
Gregg Hart
(916) 319-2037
Alexandra M. Macedo
(916) 319-2033
Celeste Rodriguez
(916) 319-2043
Chris Rogers
(916) 319-2002
David J. Tangipa
(916) 319-2008
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SB 818 will be voted on by the Senate Natural Resources Committee on April 22nd!
The bill will open up hazing of mountain lions with dogs.
Please Call in Opposition!
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This bill will start a pilot program allowing packs of hounds to "haze" or scare off mountain lions in El Dorado County. There are a myriad of ways to reduce lion-human conflicts that are more effective, humane, and less disruptive to the ecosystem than using hounding dogs to haze.
Below are a few reasons this bill is a bad idea:
- Nonlethal pursuit of mountain lions using hounds was banned by Proposition 117 in 1990, which granted permanent protection to mountain lions. This bill, if passed, would lead to a waste of taxpayer money when the program is eventually deemed illegal under Prop 117.
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Inhumane Tactic for Both Lion and Dog: The use of dogs to chase and intimidate mountain lions causes significant stress and harm to the lions, potentially leading to further behavioral changes, such as increased aggression or fear. Dogs may be injured, even fatally, as they confront the lion, often times well ahead of their handlers.
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Ethical Concerns: Chasing mountain lions inflicts physical and psychological stress for the lions, even if they are not killed or critically injured.
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Potential for Escalating Violence: The reintroduction of hounds can escalate confrontations between humans, hounds, and mountain lions. Mountain lions that are repeatedly pursued or "hazed" may become more defensive or aggressive. This could increase the risk of injury to both wildlife and humans.
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Disruption of Natural Behavior: This program will interfere with the mountain lion's natural behaviors and ecological role. Hounding will disturb their hunting patterns and migration, leading to long-term ecological imbalances and harm to the mountain lion population.
Call the numbers below and ask that they vote NO on SB 818!
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Senate Natural Resources
Committee Member Information
Monique Limón, Chair
Phone: (916) 651-4021
Kelly Seyarto, Vice Chair
Phone: (916) 651-4032
Benjamin Allen
Phone: (916) 651-4024
Shannon Grove
Phone: (916) 651-4012
Melissa Hurtado
Phone: (916) 651-4016
John Laird
Phone: (916) 651-4017
Henry Stern
Phone: (916) 651-4027
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Please join us for a special event to honor the heroes and helpers who have supported the fire animal victims and their families.
This is also a fundraising event to help us continue our vital work saving animals.
Special guests will include:
- Elected Officials who did the right thing by the animals
- Veterinarians who donated their services
- Animal Rescuers who saved hundreds of animals
- Journalists who were a voice for the voiceless and their families
- And, special guest Chief Brent Pascua, who heroically saved Teeka Teeka and Oreo from their burning home!
Click on image below to buy your ticket now!
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