Shark fin bill passes state Senate, awaits governor
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
San Francisco Chronicle September 7, 2011 04:00 AM
Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ![]()
Photo by Rich Pedroncelli / AP
State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, urged lawmakers to reject a measure to ban the sale, trade or possession of shark fins at the Senate in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. Yee and Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrence, called the bill by Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino, a racist measure because the fins are used in a soup considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures. Despite the opposition the bill was approved on a 25-9 vote and sent to the governor.
Sacramento --
The governor will now decide whether California should ban the sale of shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy that critics blame for imperiling increasingly rare species.
A bill that would ban the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins passed after an impassioned debate on the Senate floor. It was one of several bills to make it to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk in the waning days of the legislative year that ends Friday.
Other controversial bills that passed the Legislature on Tuesday include a ban on the use of the chemical bisphenol A in some children's products and a measure that would prevent municipalities from prohibiting circumcision.
An attempt to torpedo a referendum effort by the retail giant Amazon failed. The company wants voters to decide whether to overturn a budget deal that requires online retailers to pay sales tax. The bill, which would prevent such a statewide vote, could be voted on later this week.
During the debate over the shark fin ban, proponents argued that it was necessary to protect sharks while opponents, some of whom are Chinese American, called it discriminatory as only shark fins would be banned with no prohibition on the rest of the shark.
Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, said the bill would not save a single shark because there is no ban on taking the rest of the body other than the fin.
"I think what is most insidious about this particular bill is that it sends a very bad message, not only to us in California but to the rest of the world, that discrimination against Chinese Americans is OK," he said.
Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County), represents a district with a large Chinese American population and said the bill was a "cultural affront."
But Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said he is convinced there is scientific evidence of depletion of the shark population. Supporters of the bill say fishermen often cut the fins off live sharks and then dump the bodies in the ocean to die because there is no market for so much shark meat.
"It is the fin that is the problem, and therefore it is the fin the bill addresses," he said.
The bill, AB376, passed 25-9.
AB1319 bans the chemical bisphenol A in sippy cups and baby bottles manufactured or sold in California. The bill, which had failed in previous years, passed 47-20. Scientific studies have linked the chemical to hormonal problems and reproductive health issues, among other problems.
The bill to bar local entities from prohibiting circumcision, AB768, was a response to a ballot measure in San Francisco that would have outlawed a practice that critics call cruel and unnecessary. A judge has since pulled it from the ballot, saying cities are not allowed to regulate medical procedures. The bill passed 62-2.
Amazon has spent millions of dollars to collect enough signatures to put a measure before voters, asking them to reject the budget deal requiring online retailers to collect sales tax. AB155, which failed 22-12 in the Senate, would essentially kill that effort. Four Republicans and two Democrats did not vote on the measure.
Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, one of the main proponents of the move, said it would guarantee that online retailers did not have a competitive advantage over stores located in California.
"This is probably the most important piece of job creation and maintenance that the Legislature can pass this year," Hancock said.
Opponents argued that the bill was an end-run around the public's ability to vote. The bill can be reconsidered later in the week. It is supported by a large coalition of business and retail associations across California.
The governor will now decide whether California should ban the sale of shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy that critics blame for imperiling increasingly rare species.
A bill that would ban the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins passed after an impassioned debate on the Senate floor. It was one of several bills to make it to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk in the waning days of the legislative year that ends Friday.
Other controversial bills that passed the Legislature on Tuesday include a ban on the use of the chemical bisphenol A in some children's products and a measure that would prevent municipalities from prohibiting circumcision.
An attempt to torpedo a referendum effort by the retail giant Amazon failed. The company wants voters to decide whether to overturn a budget deal that requires online retailers to pay sales tax. The bill, which would prevent such a statewide vote, could be voted on later this week.
During the debate over the shark fin ban, proponents argued that it was necessary to protect sharks while opponents, some of whom are Chinese American, called it discriminatory as only shark fins would be banned with no prohibition on the rest of the shark.
Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, said the bill would not save a single shark because there is no ban on taking the rest of the body other than the fin.
"I think what is most insidious about this particular bill is that it sends a very bad message, not only to us in California but to the rest of the world, that discrimination against Chinese Americans is OK," he said.
Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County), represents a district with a large Chinese American population and said the bill was a "cultural affront."
But Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said he is convinced there is scientific evidence of depletion of the shark population. Supporters of the bill say fishermen often cut the fins off live sharks and then dump the bodies in the ocean to die because there is no market for so much shark meat.
"It is the fin that is the problem, and therefore it is the fin the bill addresses," he said.
The bill, AB376, passed 25-9.
BPA, circumcision bills
Two other bills received final approval from the Assembly, where they had passed previously, and were voted on without a floor debate.AB1319 bans the chemical bisphenol A in sippy cups and baby bottles manufactured or sold in California. The bill, which had failed in previous years, passed 47-20. Scientific studies have linked the chemical to hormonal problems and reproductive health issues, among other problems.
The bill to bar local entities from prohibiting circumcision, AB768, was a response to a ballot measure in San Francisco that would have outlawed a practice that critics call cruel and unnecessary. A judge has since pulled it from the ballot, saying cities are not allowed to regulate medical procedures. The bill passed 62-2.
Amazon referendum
AB155, which involved the "Amazon tax," has so far been unable to garner the supermajority to pass.Amazon has spent millions of dollars to collect enough signatures to put a measure before voters, asking them to reject the budget deal requiring online retailers to collect sales tax. AB155, which failed 22-12 in the Senate, would essentially kill that effort. Four Republicans and two Democrats did not vote on the measure.
Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, one of the main proponents of the move, said it would guarantee that online retailers did not have a competitive advantage over stores located in California.
"This is probably the most important piece of job creation and maintenance that the Legislature can pass this year," Hancock said.
Opponents argued that the bill was an end-run around the public's ability to vote. The bill can be reconsidered later in the week. It is supported by a large coalition of business and retail associations across California.
No comments:
Post a Comment