http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/californ ... Legal+Hunt
California Fish and Game Commission President Ousted over Legal Mountain Lion Hunt
by Outdoor Hub Reporters on August 8, 2012
submitted by: Matt Korovesis and Agnieszka Spieszny
Share This:
Earlier today, Dan Richards was removed from the office of the presidency of the California Fish and Game Commission following an extended controversy over a legal mountain lion (cougar) hunt in Idaho.
Richards became the target of animal rights organizations after a photo of him posing with a mountain lion he took during the hunt was posted on the Internet in February 2012. Hunting mountain lions was forbidden in California following the passage of Proposition 117 in 1990. It is legal to hunt the animal in Idaho (among other states) with the proper permit.
Groups like the Humane Society of the United States quickly struck up a call for Richards to resign, saying that his actions represented bad judgment and showed that he disregarded the will of Californians following the passage of Proposition 117. Critics also brought up the fact that Richards accepted the roughly $7,000 trip as a gift without initially covering any of the cost. He later paid for the excursion following the submission of an ethics complaint.
Richards, an avid big game hunter and supporter of sportsmen and womens’ rights, refused to do so. Hunters supported his legal hunt and Richards himself said he did not break any laws, did not import exotic animals, did not poach, and did not engage in any other illegal activity.
Commissioners voted unanimously to replace Richards with Jim Kellogg, who Ed Zieralski of U-T San Diego reports is seen as a “compromise” candidate between pro-hunting and -fishing groups and environmental groups. Zieralski goes on to say that Richards “took the high road” during his exit, referring to his time on the Commission as “a privilege and an honor”:
I was listening to Nickelback when I was working out on the treadmill today, and they were playing their great song, ‘If Today Was Your Last Day,’[...]I was fully aware that today was my last day as president of the Commission. Thank God it’s not my last day on this green earth. It’s been a privilege and an honor to be on this Commission. I tried to be consistent and give everyone a voice and a fair shake. I believe I made decisions on matters that reflected that.
Richards will continue to serve as a commissioner until his term is up on January 15, 2013. He does not expect to be re-appointed by Governor Jerry Brown.
CA game commissioner replaced
Forum rules
It is your responsibility to Insure that credit for the Author is given, Preferably a Full link to the original Article.
It is your responsibility to Insure that credit for the Author is given, Preferably a Full link to the original Article.
-
Emily
- Babble Mouth
- Posts: 1155
- Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:13 am
- Facebook ID: 0
- Location: Catskill Mountains, NY
Re: CA game commissioner replaced
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/08/0 ... ds-10-a-m/
Cougar Hunter Dan Richards is Out as Fish and Game Commission President After Vote
August 8, 2012, 11:15 am • Posted by Jon Brooks
EmailShareTwitterFacebookComments (7)
The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously for Jim Kellogg as president, thus ousting previous commission head and controversial cougar-hunter Dan Richards. Richards was gracious after the vote, expressing his appreciation to the commission and immediately turning over his gavel. Richards had said previously that if he was removed as president, he'd stay on the commission until his term ends in January. At that point it would be up to Jerry Brown to reappoint him, which Richards himself said is unlikely.
At today's meeting, just one citizen spoke in favor of Richards, who caused a stir in February when he shot and killed a cougar in Idaho. The small turnout is in marked contrast to a Fish and Game Commission meeting in March, when 60 people expressed their support for Richards during the two-and-a-half hour public comment period.
Richards became notorious to some after posing with the mountain lion's dead carcass for an outdoors magazine. That caused an uproar as animal-rights organizations and a slew of Democrats in the legislature sought to remove him from office, though the effort petered out. Cougar hunting is legal in Idaho but not in California.
Here's the photo, which appeared in Western Outdoor News....
Richards was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News today as saying his ouster "originates from the enviro-terrorists being threatened by me. They see a guy who is paying attention to the issues, and who calls them out on the crap they throw out. Their involvement is important but by and large it's a farce, and I'm not afraid to call it that."
Richards has refused to heed calls for him to resign. “I’m not apologizing. I didn’t do anything wrong," he told Western Outdoor News during the height of the controversy. "Why would I (resign)? I think I’m doing a good job.”
At one point, 40 state legislators signed a letter calling for his removal, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose father is a mountain lion advocate, sent Richards a letter asking him to step aside. Newsom's argument:
While not in California at the time, your actions call into question whether you can live up to the calling of your office. Since 1870 the Commission has worked to manage the wildlife resources of our state. As president of the commission, I am sure you understand that merely complying with the conservation laws of California is not the standard by which the Commission or its members are measured. As is stated on the Commission's website, your actions should be in the "best interest of the resource and truly reflect(s) the wishes and needs of the people."
I do appreciate that you did nothing illegal in Idaho, but it is clear that your actions do not reflect the values of the people of California. In 1972, Governor Ronald Reagan signed legislation banning the sport hunting of mountain lions in California for 5 years. That ban was twice renewed before the voters of California passed Proposition 117 in June 1990.
Richards reacted to the criticism by sending a sarcastic letter to Assemblymember Ben Hueso, who spearheaded the effort against him. Richards wrote: "Do you really think a California Commissioner is actually obligated to follow California laws across these United States? Really?"
Cougar Hunter Dan Richards is Out as Fish and Game Commission President After Vote
August 8, 2012, 11:15 am • Posted by Jon Brooks
EmailShareTwitterFacebookComments (7)
The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously for Jim Kellogg as president, thus ousting previous commission head and controversial cougar-hunter Dan Richards. Richards was gracious after the vote, expressing his appreciation to the commission and immediately turning over his gavel. Richards had said previously that if he was removed as president, he'd stay on the commission until his term ends in January. At that point it would be up to Jerry Brown to reappoint him, which Richards himself said is unlikely.
At today's meeting, just one citizen spoke in favor of Richards, who caused a stir in February when he shot and killed a cougar in Idaho. The small turnout is in marked contrast to a Fish and Game Commission meeting in March, when 60 people expressed their support for Richards during the two-and-a-half hour public comment period.
Richards became notorious to some after posing with the mountain lion's dead carcass for an outdoors magazine. That caused an uproar as animal-rights organizations and a slew of Democrats in the legislature sought to remove him from office, though the effort petered out. Cougar hunting is legal in Idaho but not in California.
Here's the photo, which appeared in Western Outdoor News....
Richards was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News today as saying his ouster "originates from the enviro-terrorists being threatened by me. They see a guy who is paying attention to the issues, and who calls them out on the crap they throw out. Their involvement is important but by and large it's a farce, and I'm not afraid to call it that."
Richards has refused to heed calls for him to resign. “I’m not apologizing. I didn’t do anything wrong," he told Western Outdoor News during the height of the controversy. "Why would I (resign)? I think I’m doing a good job.”
At one point, 40 state legislators signed a letter calling for his removal, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose father is a mountain lion advocate, sent Richards a letter asking him to step aside. Newsom's argument:
While not in California at the time, your actions call into question whether you can live up to the calling of your office. Since 1870 the Commission has worked to manage the wildlife resources of our state. As president of the commission, I am sure you understand that merely complying with the conservation laws of California is not the standard by which the Commission or its members are measured. As is stated on the Commission's website, your actions should be in the "best interest of the resource and truly reflect(s) the wishes and needs of the people."
I do appreciate that you did nothing illegal in Idaho, but it is clear that your actions do not reflect the values of the people of California. In 1972, Governor Ronald Reagan signed legislation banning the sport hunting of mountain lions in California for 5 years. That ban was twice renewed before the voters of California passed Proposition 117 in June 1990.
Richards reacted to the criticism by sending a sarcastic letter to Assemblymember Ben Hueso, who spearheaded the effort against him. Richards wrote: "Do you really think a California Commissioner is actually obligated to follow California laws across these United States? Really?"
esp
-
Emily
- Babble Mouth
- Posts: 1155
- Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:13 am
- Facebook ID: 0
- Location: Catskill Mountains, NY
Re: CA game commissioner replaced
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/public/information/bios.aspx
Jim Kellogg, of Discovery Bay, was appointed to the Commission on January 31, 2002, to complete the term of the position vacated by former Commissioner Richard Thieriot. He was reappointed on March 28, 2006 to a six year term. He was reappointed on April 10, 2012 to another six year term. Growing up in the Bay Area James W. Kellogg is a native Californian who has spent thirty eight years with the (UA) United Association of Journeyman and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada. He was first elected to full time office with the Steamfitters Local Union 342 in 1976.
Jim has devoted his entire adult life to helping people and doing whatever possible to provide the best working environment and conditions that the particular times would bear for the people he represents. He has been recognized many times over for his leadership abilities and has gained the respect and admiration of everyone who has had the opportunity to interface with him.
In 1992, Jim went to work for the International and currently is the International Representative in charge of California and Hawaiian Islands for the UA.
He is a strong supporter of education and heavily promotes union apprenticeship and journeyman training programs and has been rewarded for those efforts by having two schools in Northern California named after him. He is the founder of the California Native American Apprenticeship Initiative.
After years of community service and serving on many statewide labor boards and committees, Jim in January 1999 was appointed by Governor Gray Davis to the powerful California Transportation Commission and served as Chairman in 2000. He has also been appointed by Governor Davis to the California Fish and Game Commission, the Commission on Building for the 21st Century, and the California State Work Force Investment Board. He serves on the Board of Directors for the California Residence Foundation, Board of Directors Contra Costa College Foundation, Board of Directors for the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, Board of Directors for the America on the Move Foundation, and is the labor representative on the oversight committee for Contra Costa County's "Shaping Our Future" project. He serves on the Executive Board of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Posse and is Vice President of the California State Building & Construction Trades Council. He is a member of California Waterfowl Association, Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, California Deer Association, Ducks Unlimited, California State Sheriff's Association and is a lifetime member of the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation.
His term on the Commission expires January 15, 2018.
Jim Kellogg, of Discovery Bay, was appointed to the Commission on January 31, 2002, to complete the term of the position vacated by former Commissioner Richard Thieriot. He was reappointed on March 28, 2006 to a six year term. He was reappointed on April 10, 2012 to another six year term. Growing up in the Bay Area James W. Kellogg is a native Californian who has spent thirty eight years with the (UA) United Association of Journeyman and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada. He was first elected to full time office with the Steamfitters Local Union 342 in 1976.
Jim has devoted his entire adult life to helping people and doing whatever possible to provide the best working environment and conditions that the particular times would bear for the people he represents. He has been recognized many times over for his leadership abilities and has gained the respect and admiration of everyone who has had the opportunity to interface with him.
In 1992, Jim went to work for the International and currently is the International Representative in charge of California and Hawaiian Islands for the UA.
He is a strong supporter of education and heavily promotes union apprenticeship and journeyman training programs and has been rewarded for those efforts by having two schools in Northern California named after him. He is the founder of the California Native American Apprenticeship Initiative.
After years of community service and serving on many statewide labor boards and committees, Jim in January 1999 was appointed by Governor Gray Davis to the powerful California Transportation Commission and served as Chairman in 2000. He has also been appointed by Governor Davis to the California Fish and Game Commission, the Commission on Building for the 21st Century, and the California State Work Force Investment Board. He serves on the Board of Directors for the California Residence Foundation, Board of Directors Contra Costa College Foundation, Board of Directors for the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, Board of Directors for the America on the Move Foundation, and is the labor representative on the oversight committee for Contra Costa County's "Shaping Our Future" project. He serves on the Executive Board of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Posse and is Vice President of the California State Building & Construction Trades Council. He is a member of California Waterfowl Association, Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, California Deer Association, Ducks Unlimited, California State Sheriff's Association and is a lifetime member of the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation.
His term on the Commission expires January 15, 2018.
esp