Was Mayor Newsom drunk when he proposed SB 861?
Mayor Gavin Newsom has admitted to having an alcohol problem and stated he plans to seek counseling for alcohol abuse. "Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life," Newsom said in a statement.
Newsom's admission follows the public revelation of his affair with the wife of his former campaign manager.
This new admission makes us wonder -- Was Newsom drunk when he came up with the idea to do away with Pit Bulls? Oh sure, critics will say the current law just allows mandatory spay and neuter (and, hey, they don't have to exempt show or service dogs, according to the law). But the original proposal Newsom wanted to push through allowed everything just short of an outright ban. That means muzzling in public, million dollar insurance requirements (which are vitrually impossible to get and would therefore constitute a ban), making it illegal to allow your dog to roam free in your own fenced backyard, etc.
It wasn't until the American Veterinary Medical Association, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the ASPCA, and even the HSUS said Breed Specific Legislation is wrong and ineffective and just plain all around BAD that the bill got watered down further and further to allow mandatory spay and neuter.
Mandatory spay and neuter, by the way, means that a county can require all dogs of a certain breed be spayed or neutered as puppies, without exception, so that the breed slowly dies. And, no, it's not just necessarily limited to Pit Bulls.
By the way, Rufus, a Bull Terrier, one the last Westminster. However, in a few years, there may be no more Rufuses at Westminster. No more Pete the Pups of the Little Rascals, and no more Chances in movies like Homeward Bound.
Extinction, after all, is forever.
Sober up, Mayor Newsom, and when you do, please reconsider this law that allows San Francisco to discriminate against creatures based solely on their appearance.
Though we would love Newsom to come to his senses and do away with breed discrimination, we strongly agree with San Francisco Supervisor Jake McGoldrick. Ultimately, Mayor Newsom should resign. He has broken the public's trust and demonstrated poor judgment and an abysmal moral code. "What he has been trying to do in portraying himself as the victim is totally Machiavellian," McGoldrick said. "It represents a total failure to recognize the damage to that family and the damage that he did to the city."
Thank you, McGoldrick. We could not have said it better.