California Prop 6

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From: Stacy Berger 
Email: stacy_a_berger@intel.com

Last week there was some discussion about California's Prop. 6 on the ballot coming up.  I asked my sister, a constitutional attorney - that works for a different state (not CA) legislature writing bills & propositions for that state to give me her analysis.

Her reading of the language of the proposition is that there is NO tax challenge to the status of horses.  Ther verbiage about being companion animals is just in the proposition as illustrative/emotional language.  In California, horses are not classified as a food animal - like goats/cows/chickens etc.  When a person buys a horse in California, that person is liable for sales tax to the state, as they are when they purchase food to feed that horse.  Most of us don't pay that tax - and claim that we buy our hay for cows etc.
Horses will continue to be considered a "pet" to the government.  

The cattle industry has put lots of cattle rustling laws on the books making it a felony to steal a cow.  This is mostly because it is a production "beef unit".  There are no such laws for horse thievery. 

Prop. 6 will  make it a felony to steal a horse, buy a horse under false pretenses, or otherwise send a horse to slaughter for HUMAN consumption in California.  Currently, a stolen horse is only a theft up to the value of the animal.  Kind of like stealing a tv or your dog.  

This proposition would enable owners who find out that their retired horse they donated to someone that ends up at slaughter prosocute that person who bought the horse.  

It will also make the  outcome of stealing horses for a quick buck at the local auction be more of a crime.
The criminal would go to jail, rather than pay a small fine.

My sister said the bill could have been written better - but it does not change any status of breeders/owners of horses.


I am voting for this proposition.