Urgent! Supporters Needed To Rally To Kill Bill That Would Allow Sale of Alligator & Crocodile Products In California

Animal rights activists are rallying supporters to help in pressuring California legislators to permanently discontinue an exemption to California law that has allowed the sale of alligator and crocodile skins since 2006. A recent poll showed that 75% of Californians would support a ban on importing, exporting, or selling exotic animal hides and products.

California banned the sale of alligator and crocodile back in 1970. The ban was lifted by legislation in 2006 that established a sunset clause to allow the legal sale of alligator and crocodile products, which was later extended again in 2009 and 2014. Those extensions have been backed by high fashion retailers and a coalition of breeders from Louisiana. The most recent exemption is scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2020.

In February, a bill, AB 527 (Voepel) was introduced in the Assembly that would have extended the exemption into 2030. The bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee in April.

With your help, we were able to defeat AB 527, but now they are trying to reintroduce the bill with some shady legislative maneuvering. We can’t let them get away with this!

Supporters of the bill, which include Louis Vuitton, Bijan, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (LDWF), are now taking another run at an extension. Assembly Members Adam Gray (D-Merced) and Blanca Rubio (D-West Covina) are co-authoring AB 719, which is currently in the Senate Rules Committee; a gut and amend strategy as a last ditch effort. The bill will likely be heard in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, chaired by Senator Henry Stern (D-Calabasas).

“We’ve collectively killed this bill before, thanks to the loud and united voice of animal lovers across the state and thanks to Assembly leadership with compassion and morals,” said Judie Mancuso, Founder and CEO, Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL), a leading political animal advocacy group creating and changing laws to support animal rights, protection and welfare in California and beyond. “Now they’re doing a legislative ‘jailbreak.’ There is no place in California for promoting the killing and skinning of crocodiles and alligators out of the vanity of wearing or carrying exotic skins. We are better than this and are hoping our legislative leaders hear us and shut this effort down.”

“Our goal is to save literally millions of alligators and crocodiles from torture and death around the world. We are so close but there is no time to lose,” continued Mancuso. “Animal rights supporters need to step up now or the slaughter of these animals will continue indefinitely.”

Activists and celebrities are urged to spread the word through social media posts, to tweet and lobby their state representatives and to make plans to travel to Sacramento to attend a hearing on the bill should one be announced.

HOW TO HELP, NOW!

PLEASE TWEET THE FOLLOWING:

Stop @LouisVuitton & Louisiana alligator/crocodile industry from undermining our legislative process! Uphold California’s historic animal protections! #NoOnAB719 @Rendon63rd @SenToniAtkins @LorenaSGonzalez @HenrySternCA @BenAllenCA @SenateHertzberg @SenHannahBeth @CASenCaballero 

PLEASE CALL THE LEGISLATORS LISTED BELOW AND TELL THEM TO STOP #AB719! 

Senator Henry Stern, 916-651-4027

Senator Brian Jones, 916-651-4038

Senator Benjamin Allen, 916-651-4026

Senator Andreas Borgeas, 916-651-4008

Senator Anna Caballero, 916-651-4012

Senator Robert Hertzberg, 916-651-4018

Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, 916-651-4019

Senator Bill Monning, 916-651-4017

You can help all animals by choosing compassion on your plate. #GoVeg