WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 21, 2010) — The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsements of California candidates for federal and state offices. The group urges humane voters to choose Barbara Boxer for U.S. Senate, and has made recommendations in an additional 40 congressional races and 60 state races.

“Californians understand the importance of animals in our lives, and this bipartisan slate of candidates would bring humane values to Washington and Sacramento,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We urge California voters who care about the humane treatment of animals to support these candidates.”

Among the California candidate endorsements issued by HSLF:

• Barbara Boxer, D-Senate, sponsored the Captive Primate Safety Act, S. 462, to prohibit interstate commerce of primates for the pet trade, and the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act, S. 1748, to conserve imperiled sea otters. As chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, she has shepherded a number of animal protection bills through her committee, including those to strengthen the penalties for killing federally protected migratory birds such as hawks and falcons, and to promote the conservation of imperiled species such as cranes, marine turtles, neotropical migratory birds, great cats and canids. She also led the effort to provide adequate funding for the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, the animal fighting law, and other animal welfare programs.
  
  
• Mary Bono Mack, R-45th, sponsored the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, H.R. 2480, to require labeling of fur-trimmed garments so consumers are not deceived by false advertising. She has co-sponsored bills to stop the slaughter of American horses for foreign delicacies, to ban the trafficking in obscene animal “crush” videos, and to strengthen the federal law against dogfighting and cockfighting.
  
  
• Jerry McNerney, D-11th, has co-sponsored bills to stop the slaughter of American horses for foreign delicacies, to ban the trafficking in obscene animal “crush” videos, and to strengthen the federal law against dogfighting and cockfighting, and to protect dogs and crack down on large-scale puppy mill abuses. He has supported bills to protect wildlife, such as sea otters, marine turtles, primates, wild horses, cranes, and big cats.
  
  
• Elton Gallegly, R-24th, is the co-chairman of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, and one of the leading advocates for animals in the House of Representatives. He has sponsored legislation to establish felony-level penalties for dogfighting and cockfighting, and to ban the trafficking in obscene animal “crush” videos. He also sponsored bills to stop the trophy shooting of bears over bait on federal lands, and to require that meat and egg products purchased by the federal government meet a cage-free and crate-free standard.

The complete HSLF slate of endorsements is below: