California Assemblyman David Hadley (Rep) cannot be trusted to do what’s best for California or his constituents. Hadley is currently embattled in a contentious re-election campaign for the Assembly seat for the 66th District (Redondo Beach, Torrance, and more) and he’s throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. He claims to be a Republican, yet his mailers call him “independent-minded”, tout his record of “voting against his party”, and brags about his opposition to Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Hadley is no Republican. Clearly, he is a Republican in Name Only (RINO).
Speaking of pachyderms, a recent pro-Hadley campaign mailer brings up another issue where he sided with radical Democrats, the Green Party, and the animal rights lobby: his vote in favor of SB 1062. Sponsored by Democrat Senator Ricardo Lara, SB 1062 is an animal rights extremist bill that eliminates human-elephant contact. Do you like seeing elephants in movies? At traditional Hindu weddings? Would you like to feel an elephant’s skin? SB 1062 makes all of that impossible. With the elimination of that valuable interaction comes the crippling of the great conservation work being done in the state to save Asian elephants from extinction.
Those who supported this bill, like the deceptive but seemingly well-meaning animal rights organizations the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Performing Animal Welfare Society, lobbied hard despite all admitting to never having first-hand experience with the husbandry tool it banned. They also have no track record as conservation organizations, instead advocating for the scam-tuary philosophy to “let [elephants} become extinct.”
As his get-out-the-vote mailer says, Hadley sat on the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee and had the opportunity as the deciding vote to stop the bad bill in its tracks. Over 350 elephant experts from across the globe with a combined 5000+ years-experience, including conservationists, researchers, veterinarians, and caretakers all opposed SB 1062. Despite overwhelming science and consensus of the elephant community, David Hadley chose to side with radical organizations and against science. Fellow Republicans on the committee voted against the bill, as did Democrat Assemblyman Jose Media (District 61). It’s worthy to note that Assemblyman Medina is the only member of the committee to have actually visited the California elephants this bad bill affects.
Despite repeated invitations, Hadley failed to see the animals for himself. Perhaps he didn’t need to. In his career in investment banking he was fined for violating federal money laundering regulations. Subsequently as a politician he was forced to return over $40,000 in illegal contributions to his Assembly campaign. With a track record like this, one has to wonder.
When he is not attacking opponent Al Muratsuchi, David Hadley claims to want to support middle-class jobs. Films like Water for Elephants were largely made in California because of the proximity to their elephant stars. SB 1062 makes it impossible for this to happen in the future, driving hundreds of jobs out of the state and further adding to the decline of Hollywood as a nexus for creativity and production. Traditional Hindu weddings, outreach programs, research studies, and more must all leave California if they are to continue. Middle-class jobs like photographers, wedding vendors, event planners, and veterinary technicians are just some of the many working people harmed by Hadley vote. It is clear Hadley’s actions do not match his claims.
This election includes a number of complicated issues, but sometimes a candidate’s stance on an issue can be used as an indicator of their true character. David Hadley is not the reasoned, rational, Republican he claims to be. His actions with SB 1062 show his true colors. Since David Hadley voted to hurry elephants to extinction, we can only hope his constituents vote to make RINOs like Hadley extinct.
Sarah Conley is a writer for The Cavalry Group, Chair of the Circus Fans Association’s Animal Welfare Committee, and was personally involved in the fight against SB 1062 in the name of saving elephants from extinction.
