SACRAMENTO – North Coast State Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D–Santa Rosa) has received an A grade from Paw Pac for her votes on legislation in 2008.

PawPAC, created in 1980, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to the protection of animals.

In a recently-released report, Paw Pac scored California’s 40 State Senators and 80 Assembly members on their votes on eight pieces of legislation introduced this year.

According to PawPAC, Wiggins voted correctly on all eight of those measures, as did Assemblywoman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), former Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka) and former Assemblywoman and now Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis).

The targeted pieces of legislation were:

• AB 2098, strengthening existing law to prohibit auctions and slaughterhouses from accepting and abusing animals that cannot walk;

• AB 2291, adding a check-off donation on state income tax forms to fund low-cost spay/neuter programs;

• AB 2427, prohibiting cities/counties from banning any act that falls within the regulatory definition of that business, such as de-clawing of cats;

• AB 2785, requiring the state Wildlife Conservation Board to designate and protect wildlife corridors;

• AB 2911, strengthening protections against oil spills and calling for better use of volunteers to rehabilitate injured wildlife;

• AJR 41, asking U.S. Fish and Wildlife to extend the Endangered Species Act to cover polar bears and penguins that are affected by global warming;

• AJR 62, asking the National Marine Fisheries Service to deny long-line swordfish permits off the California coast (the method often kills sea turtles);

• SB 908, requiring environmental education to include climate change.

Wiggins represents California’s Second Senate District, which includes portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

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