SB 187: Questions Abound About Fishing License Bill’s Failure
Parimal M. Rohit
October 19, 2017
Shifting to a 12-month fishing license cycle had broad support and no opposition, so why did it fail?
SACRAMENTO — It’s no secret money and politics go together. What remains secretive is how money dictates the policies directly governing our lives. Some questioned whether money was a factor in the sudden demise of a proposal to overhaul California’s fishing license system.
No sooner did the bill fail to emerge out of the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee did California’s anglers look to the board’s membership and question why they failed to recommend Senate Bill 187 (SB 187) for passage.
Some pondered whether Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who chaired the Appropriations Committee, had incentive to kill the bill. Gonzalez Fletcher, interestingly enough, represents San Diego, which is one of California’s top destinations for anglers.
The Log reached out to Gonzalez’s office and made initial contact with one of her staff members, hoping to gain some perspective as to why SB 187 failed to cross the finish line despite overwhelming support and no known opposition.
When asked for an explanation as to why SB 187 was not recommended to move forward out of committee,
her office went radio silent; her press representative, Alex Roth, has not yet responded to The Log’s questions. We specifically asked why SB 187 did not make it out of Appropriations despite having no opposition on record or during any stage of voting.
We also asked why the bill was killed in Appropriations Committee when five of its members voted in favor of SB 187 while sitting on another committee.
Of course there might well be a reasonable answer for why SB 187, which many of its proponents considered to be a common sense proposal, was killed in the Appropriations Committee. The Log will continue searching for answers beyond this particular story. Readers are also encouraged to reach out to members of the Appropriations Committee and ask questions of their elected representatives.
As we pursue our quest for answers, let us look back on how we arrived to today’s current predicament.
http://www.thelog.com/snw/sb-187-que...bills-failure/