"The Animal Control Advisory Committee Axes the Tyke Ordinance and Protections for Circus Animals and the Public/ the Tyke Ordinance Committee Feels it is Political and Personal Pandering"

       We have kept our peace in the media and tried to publicly stay above the fray, hoping against all odds that the circus animals and public would get a fair shake from the County of Monterey.  Little did we know, the Animal Control Advisory Committee, who at their last meeting were overwhelming supportive of this same ordinance, would come out swinging to ax it forever for what we feel are politically motivated reasons.

       The Animal Control Advisory Committee voted to protect special interests in Monterey County for political reasons, instead of circus animals, who continue to suffer from abuse and neglect or Monterey County residents, who will not have the protections they would have had in our ordinance, should an exotic animal attack occur.  If any animal escapes from a traveling venue and/or attacks any person on Monterey County land or if that venue was sponsored by any county group, including the Monterey County Sherrif's Deputies Association or if the county is in any way in charge of a site or event, then Monterey County can and will be liable for damages in that attack.  We were providing fiscal protections for the county and Animal Control killed those protections today.

       They did the dirty work for the Supervisor who appointed them, because the Supervisors know they themselves have received letters of endorsement for the Tyke Ordinance from the American SPCA and the Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club and they know that I have over 12,000 people potentially watching to see what each Supervisor's vote will be, because of the large conservation and animal groups, as well as others that have supported this.

       After hearing that Animal Control was reviewing this ordinance, Charlie Sammut  "invited" Animal Control Director, Kathy Prew, to "visit" his ranch to see what an exotic animal roadside zoo entails (a  freebie encounter with exciting, exotic animals that he usually charges around $800.00 for), and she did a sudden about face from the previous meeting and is now adamantly against the ordinance, when she was originally extremely supportive and caring about this exact same ordinance.  Now that Charlie Sammut is her good buddy or so it appeared at the meeting where he hugged her and she greeted him with a wide smile, she no longer sees the need to protect circus animals from abuse or the public from harm.   Everyone in Monterey County has a price and Mr. Sammut knows just how to figure out what that price is.

       The entire board suddenly found numerous, terrible faults with the ordinance that last time we met with them, none of them seemed to have, except Darlene Drain, former Clerk to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors (so she has very close ties to every Supervisor).  This political manipulation is nothing new to Charlie Sammut, he is the President of IAWA (www.iawa.info), whose sole purpose is to fight animal welfare laws at a local, state and federal level.  He knows how to buy people off (perhaps legally), wine and dine people, and arrange protections for himself and his millions.

       At the meeting today he brought up the idea that the county could be sued if they enact this ordinance at least twice and our little committee was told that Sammut met with the subcommittee and that they received "materials" from Carson and Barnes Circus.  It should be noted that the terrible elephant abuse video on the www.circuses.com site "Training and Tragedy", stars as the main abuser, Carson and Barnes' head elephant trainer.  So, you can see how Carson and Barnes trains there animals.  However, our committee was never made aware that all of there arguments were being made and had no chance to rebut them.  In fact, many Animal Control Advisory members were sarcastic and said extremely sarcastically that the film we showed them at the first meeting were "heart wrenching".  This was video of animals being kicked, hit, whipped and beaten.

       When I started this months ago, mom and I were told outright by Simon Salinas' Chief of Staff that "Charlie Sammut isn't going to like this, he comes in here all the time, we go out there for events.  He has a lot of powerful friends around here".  That was our first sign of how this county really works.

       Dave Potter's office would not even return my calls or emails or take the packet I had put together on the ordinance.  His Chief of Staff told me, after I called her over and over and over and she finally took the call, that Dave's first question was "How is Charlie Sammut going to feel about this?"  And she went on to say that Sammut "will come out and say he is regulated enough and the circus will come and fight it".  I asked in writing how she would know that unless she went to the opposition right away, even though I am the proponent and they would not return my calls or emails, and she denied saying those things.  But that is a lie.

       I asked her if Wild Things Animal Rentals was in Dave's district and she acted like she didn't know.  Of course it is in his district and he was opposed to this from the very beginning.  She said they had been out to Vision Quest Ranch (Wild Things) "on projects".  Not sure what that means, does it mean construction projects for Dave Potter's Cnstruction firm or Board of Supervisor projects?  Or parties?

       Mom and I met with Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue early on and the first thing he said was "Well, how is Wild Things going to feel about this?  You know, I am connected to the Sammut family in many different ways".

       At the Animal Control level we were welcomed and met with such warmth and support for our ordinance the first time, then Sammut and Supervisor's Potter and Salinas, as well as former Board of Supervisor Clerk, Darlene Drain, who made it clear at the first meeting (she was the only one except Tom Collier, who didn't show up today, to come out against the ordinance) was sent in to sabotage the ordinance, Sammut, et el got to work with their courting the director, Kathy Prew, wining and dining and threatening lawsuits and calling on all of their friends in Monterey County politics like Potter, Salinas and Dennis Donohue...and what do you know, now they are all not just against it, they are passionately and personally against it.  Tom Collier, who didn't vote today, did not disclose his financial conflict of interest at the first meeting-he sells tons of elephant, monkey, kangaroo and other exotic food, as well as horse and domestic supplies and Charlie Sammut and the circus are the only ones who would buy all that from them.  Everyone is for sale, if it's not money then it is inclusion to their little "club", invitations to his exciting ranch and parties.  Quid Pro Quo.

       Charlie Sammut has a father with a huge trust, he is a trust fund recipient, not a poor fella like he acts.  His father is a huge shopping mall developer, Tony Sammut.  Tony Sammut has contributed money to the campaigns of most of the Monterey County Supervisors.  Supervisors are routinely lobbied and wined and dined by Charlie Sammut and his very rich, well connected family.  His brother is co-owner of the Black Bear Diner chain and their family has numerous real estate holdings, including Laurel Inn in Salinas.

       As many of you know, Charlie Sammut fights many animal welfare laws with his team of lobbyists and lawyers, as President of IAWA.  They fought against the Spay/Neuter law that our SPCA supported, they are fighting Haley's Act, which is co-sponsored by Congressman Sam Farr, they fought the Horsemeat law, dog coursing laws and many others.

       So, it was a lovefest for Mr. Sammut at today's Animal Control Advisory Committee meeting.  He has all the political connections, power and money to just make something he doesn't like in Monterey County simply "go away".

       To note, they seemed so concerned about county finances, then why don't Dave Potter, et el, forego their yearly increase in salary this year?  Why don't they listen to their own planning department instead of being sued, right now by so many groups...no other county is sued as often as Monterey County is.  In recent years, Monterey County settled a lawsuit for 11 million dollars.  How can they afford to keep making illegal land use decisions in this county, but they cannot protect circus animals and the public?

       The meeting was a sham.  Everyone in the room was clearly in Charlie Sammut's pocket.  Mom and I met with another Supervisor back in those early days, who was very kind to us, very nice and he seemed open minded.  When we got to talking about lobbyists in Monterey County, he actually said to my mom and I, "The other supervisors take money from lobbyists", he shook his head and shrugged,  "They take money".  It's so blatant, a Supervisor just says it outright to private citizens.  There is no need for us to keep our peace about all of this backroom dealing, political influence peddling and corruption any longer.  The Advisory Committee gave the Supervisors a perfect reason to kill this now.

       Since I have written legal, certified letters to the Monterey County Fairgrounds Board and the Mayor and Attorney of the City of Monterey about the hazards of exotic animal circuses and animal abuse records of many circuses and asked them to meet with me or review their policies and have given our packet about these issues and dangers to the Mayor of Salinas, Dennis Donohue, and they have ignored me, the city of Monterey and the City of Salinas are truly liable morally and financially if an exotic animal attack occurs in either city as well.  Any deaths will be on their hands, plain and simple.  We made it clear at the meeting today that we were more than willing to work on this, even with Mr. Sammut, if he had valid concerns and to rework it and make it better. But nothing we said mattered, because the Board of Supervisors wanted this killed from day one and they now have the perfect reason to kill it.

       "One exotic attack in this county, that's it.  I have emailed and informed every Monterey County Police Chief, Mayor, the Sheriff, the Director of Monterey County Animal Services and every Monterey County Board Supervisor, of the common and deadly risk that exotic animals pose to the public and I have asked the Mayor of Monterey and the Monterey County Fairgrounds to meet with me and review their utter lack of research on circuses past histories of animal abuse and public health concerns.  Those were certified letters.
       
       At the Animal Control Advisory Committee meeting today, Charlie Sammut brought up a case at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in recent years, where a tiger was being permitted to pose for photos with people from the public and that at that time the tiger's trainer was bitten by that same tiger. This happened at the Monterey Fairgounds and it could easily, like it has so many other times, been a child or another person who was bitten and furthermore, one bite to the neck by a large cat can kill a person.

       Mr. Sammut himself said that he called and complained to the state about this incident, so there is a clear record of it.

       If a child is killed or if a person is attacked and loses their life because of an exotic animal attack here, then in my estimation, these entities that failed to act, including Animal Services and the Monterey County Health Department, are responsible and liable for that exotic animal attack and any deaths or damages that occur.  And all for political or personal gain from what Charlie Sammut or the Board of Supervisors has to offer that we, as a very small, moneyless committee and that the circus animals, do not have to offer these politicians and their loyal pages at Animal Control.  Their suggestion that we go to the City of Salinas to propose this is a bust, since we have already been told by Mayor Donohue that he 'is connected to the Sammut family in many different ways' and let us know that he was automatically against the ordinance.

       All we wanted was a fair shake for the animals' welfare and public protections, but instead we never even had a chance, because too many people were already in Sammut's pocket.  It's business as usual in Monterey County", said Tyke Ordinance Committee Co-Chair, Rhonda Somerton.