(July 1, 2009)—Statement by Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, in response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s remarks today:

“Everybody knows that California’s budget situation is dire and urgent, but that’s no excuse for grandstanding by the Governor and picking on the vulnerable. Today, he went out of his way to disparage a simple, politically non-controversial anti-cruelty bill that has absolutely no fiscal impact on the state. It simply stops the painful practice of tail-docking of dairy cows, a mutilation procedure opposed by all major animal welfare organizations, veterinary groups, and even dairy industry trade associations, who have called the practice ‘archaic.’ This is the same Governor who is already leading the charge to deny animal shelters money that could result in the euthanasia of tens of thousands of dogs and cats and who previously proposed a tax upon veterinary services that would have resulted in a reduction in needed medical interventions for animals. So in panning this legislation, he’s not helping California make tough choices – he’s just acting like a demagogue and a bully.

Perhaps the Governor forgot that Proposition 2, the measure to halt the intensive confinement of animals on factory farms approved last November, got more votes than any citizen initiative in California history. Governor Schwarzenegger opposed that anti-cruelty measure, too, contributing more to his pitiful record on animal welfare.

The HSUS is very grateful to Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) for authoring S.B. 135. The Senate passed the bill 27-12, and action is pending in the Assembly.”

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization—backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty—on the web at humanesociety.org.