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<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>This from a peace activist and
local teacher--action to take on Genetically Modifed foods--organic
farming.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Tahoma size=2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>DEAR FRIENDS,<BR>><BR>>I AM
SENDING YOU INFORMATION REGARDING A BILL WHICH WILL HAVE MAJOR <BR>>IMPACT ON
ORGANIC FARMING IN CALIFORNIA. ENCLOSED ARE THE NAMES OF <BR>>THE
AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE WHICH HAS THE POWER TO ADVISE THE <BR>>LEGISLATURE ON
THIS. THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING IN ROOM 4202 <BR>>(SOUTH
SIDE OF THE CAPITOL) ON JUNE 28, 2006 AT 1:30 IN THE <BR>>AFTERNOON. PLEASE
ATTEND IF YOU CAN BUT PHONE, EMAIL OR WRITE THE <BR>>COMMITTEE LISTED BELOW
AS WELL AS YOUR ASSEMBLY PERSON AND SENATOR <BR>>(LISTED IN FRONT OF THE
PHONE BOOK) I ALSO ENCLOSE MY LETTER TO <BR>>THEM.<BR>>THANK
YOU FOR HELP IN SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE, LOCAL ORGANIC AND BIO
<BR>>DYNAMIC FOOD!<BR>><BR>>NANCY<BR>>P.S. -
do get the book The Ominvore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. a <BR>>real eye
opener on food issues<BR>><BR>>1. GE Free
Action Alert<BR>>***<BR>><BR>>Local Democracy Again Under Threat in
California<BR>>On June 28th 2006, the California State Assembly Agriculture
<BR>>Committee will consider a bill (SB 1056) that will take away local
<BR>>government authority over seed regulation. If passed, this bill will
<BR>>override current and future restrictions on genetically engineered
<BR>>crops and seeds, as well as all other local regulation of
seeds.<BR>> In 2005, a groundswell of organizational and citizen
response <BR>>stopped the California preemption attempts - we need your help
to <BR>>prevent the passage of this bill once and for all.<BR>>We ask you
to join Californians for GE-Free Agriculture in <BR>>protecting local
communities democratic right to protect their <BR>>citizens in the absence of
adequate state and federal regulation of <BR>>genetically engineered
crops.<BR>> Take
Action!<BR>><BR>>1. Call, email or fax your
own Assembly member to ask them to <BR>>oppose SB 1056. CalGE-Free coalition
member True Food Network has <BR>>set up an online action page at:
<BR>>http://ga3.org/campaign/CA_preemption, or using the sample letter
<BR>>below. Call your local elected officials and encourage them to do
<BR>>the same.<BR>>2. Attend the Assembly
Agriculture Committee hearing in <BR>>Sacramento on June 28th to voice your
opposition (for more details, <BR>>contact Becky at 510-647-3733 or
(becky@calgefree.org)<BR>>3. Join the Cal
GE-Free list serve <BR>>(http://www.calgefree.org/mailerregform.shtml)
for regular updates <BR>>on
preemption.<BR>>4. Forward this email to
everyone you know in California and <BR>>urge them to take
action!<BR>><BR>>MY LETTER<BR>>*<BR>>Dear Senator
Cox,<BR>><BR>> SB Bill 1056 (Florez),
to be heard by the Agriculture <BR>>committee on June 28, 2006, violates two
of our most basic human <BR>>rights. One, it overrides our
constitutionally guaranteed right for <BR>>local
democracy. Citizens of counties have the right to vote for
<BR>>the highest standards of health, safety and welfare in their
<BR>>counties. Three counties in California have voted to not have
<BR>>genetically modified crops grown in their counties in order to
<BR>>protect their organic agriculture from contamination by pollination.
<BR>> This bill takes away this right in favor of bio tech
agriculture. <BR>>Such industrial chemical farming is not harmed by these
citizen <BR>>standards for they can sell GMO products in all the
counties. They <BR>>are only asked to use conventional seed
instead of GMO seed. The <BR>>organic farmer, on the other hand, can be put
out of business.<BR>><BR>> Secondly,
the right to choose what we eat is a basic human
<BR>>right. Unlike other countries where genetically modified food
is <BR>>labeled, in the US it circulates in our food supply without
<BR>>labeling. The only way we can have some right to choice
about the <BR>>food we are buying is by having access to organic food upheld
by <BR>>standards.<BR>><BR>> Organic
food, the fastest growing sector of agriculture, has <BR>>not been promoted
by our government, or our research universities <BR>>who have multi million
dollar contracts with bio tech companies. <BR>>Their focus is not public
welfare but patenting of life forms and <BR>>making profit. The rapidly
rising popularity of organic is because <BR>>people are demanding access to
healthy food for their families as a <BR>>basic right of
life. This bill jeopardizes these basic rights and
<BR>>should be defeated. Further, agriculture based on huge fossil fuel
<BR>>inputs and long distances for transport is
unsustainable.<BR>><BR>> Lastly, our
government has done no long term research on the <BR>>effects on human health
or the environment from GMO crops. The <BR>>companies who engineer
the seed have written the safety standards, <BR>>hardly an objective
source. There are disturbing signs that GMO <BR>>crops may
negatively affect the digestion in ruminants and the <BR>>powerful
herbicides used on GMO plants may reconstitute in the gut <BR>>of those
ingesting meat and milk from them. There have been no <BR>>studies
on unborn children or the developing brain of
children. <BR>>Please consider protecting the health and welfare
of our citizen’s <BR>>and not endorse and spread this technology until truly
proven safe.<BR>><BR>> As an educator,
farmer, and grandparent I ask that you vote <BR>>for the people’s rights in
this matter. NO ON AB 1056. Thank you.<BR>><BR>>2. Excerpt of
Offensive Passage in Amended SB 1056<BR>> ***<BR>>AMENDED IN
ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 02, 2005<BR>>52251.5. Except as otherwise provided in this
code, the provisions <BR>>of this chapter are of statewide concern and occupy
the entire field <BR>>of regulation regarding the registration, labeling,
sale, storage, <BR>>transportation, distribution, notification of use and use
of seeds <BR>>TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL LOCAL REGULATIONS. Except as
otherwise <BR>>specifically provided in this code, no ordinance or regulation
of <BR>>any political subdivision may prohibit or in any way attempt to
<BR>>regulate any matter relating to the registration, labeling, sale,
<BR>>storage, transportation, distribution, notification of use, or use
<BR>>of seeds.<BR>><BR>>***<BR>>3. Contact Info and Details on
Assembly Ag Committee<BR>>***<BR>><BR>>Assembly
Agriculture<BR>><BR>>Barbara
Matthews Chair<BR>>916-319-2017<BR>>916-319-2117
fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room 5155<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a17/default.htm<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>Bill
Maze Vice-Chair<BR>>916-319-2034<BR>>916-319-2134
fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room 4015<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/index.asp?Dist=34&Lang=1<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>Patty
Berg<BR>>916-319-2001<BR>>916-319-2101 fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room
4146<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a01/<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>Sam
Blakeslee<BR>>916-319-2033<BR>>916-319-2133 fax<BR>>Sate Capitol, Room
5126<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/index.asp?Dist=33&Lang=1<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>David
Cogdill<BR>>916-319-2025<BR>>916-319-2125 fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room
4117<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/index.asp?Dist=25&Lang=1<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>Nicole
Parra<BR>>916-319-2030<BR>>916-319-2130 fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room
4005<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a30/<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>Simon
Salinas<BR>>916-319-2028<BR>>916-319-2128 fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room
2175<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a28/<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>Juan
Vargas<BR>>916-319-2079<BR>>916-319-2179 fax<BR>>State Capitol, Room
2013<BR>>Sacramento, CA
95814<BR>>http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a79/<BR>>email<BR>><BR>>.
Assembly Ag Committee Agenda for June 28<BR>>***<BR>><BR>>Assembly
Agriculture<BR>><BR>>06/28/06 1:30 pm<BR>> Room 4202
(audio)<BR>>· SB 1041 (Denham): District agricultural
associations.<BR>>· SB 1056 (Florez):
Agriculture.<BR>><BR>> ***<BR>>5. Links to Details on the
Bill<BR>> ***<BR>><BR>>SB 1056
(Florez)<BR>>Agriculture.<BR>>Bill Text:<BR>>· SB 1056 (Tabbed
view of all versions) (beta)<BR>>· Introduced: 02/22/05 |
PDF<BR>>· Amended: 04/25/05 | PDF<BR>>· Amended: 05/11/05 |
PDF<BR>>· Amended: 07/07/05 | PDF<BR>>· Amended: 09/02/05 |
PDF<BR>><BR>>Bill Status:<BR>>· From committee with
author's amendments. Read second time. <BR>>Amended. Re-referred to
committee.<BR>><BR>>Bill Location:<BR>>· Location: Assembly
Agriculture<BR>>· Hearing date: 06/28/06<BR>><BR>>Bill
Analysis<BR>>· Senate committee analysis (04/24/05)<BR>>·
Senate floor analysis (05/10/05)<BR>>· Senate floor analysis
(05/12/05)<BR>>· Assembly committee analysis
(06/27/05)<BR>><BR>>New vote tracking system (undergoing
testing)<BR>>· Senate Environmental Quality - 04/25/05<BR>>Motion:
Do pass, but re-refer to the Committee on
Appropriations.<BR>> Ayes: 7, Noes: 0, Abstentions:
1<BR>>· Senate Floor - 06/01/05<BR>>Motion: Senate 3rd Reading
SB1056 Florez<BR>> Ayes: 30, Noes: 8, Abstentions:
1<BR>>· Assembly Natural Resources - 06/27/05<BR>>Motion: Do pass
and be re-referred to the Committee on Agriculture.<BR>> Ayes: 6,
Noes: 3, Abstentions: 1<BR>><BR>><BR>></FONT><BR></DIV></FONT>
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