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may be issued a hunting license by Fish and Game to deal with a particular animal like a <br />mountain lion from time to time, but these are primarily agricultural areas. <br />City Attorney Roush said on public property, the Municipal Code prohibits falconers to hunt with <br />their bird unless they have permission from the owner or for something in season with the <br />proper license. Councilmember Sullivan said he understood the applicant takes the bird to <br />Livermore to hunt but does not hunt in Pleasanton. <br />Councilmember McGovern said she has totally removed the person, politics and emotion and <br />she was trying to understand what the right thing for wild animals is and what the City should <br />do, and thought hunting is a part of this. <br />Vice Mayor Thorne opened the public hearing. <br />Ronald Ellingsen supported approval of the conditional use permit, felt Mayor Hosterman is role <br />model to women, discussed his family's love of hunting, regulations of the sport and falconry, <br />stating there are hundreds of hawks in the area and he has never seen any threatening <br />behavior to humans. <br />Chris Beratlis felt the matter has gotten out of hand and is politically motivated. He said he has <br />never heard of attacks in Pleasanton, he has hawks living 100 feet from his home and they have <br />never harmed any of his baby Iambs, thinks it is a proper use for the area and is a good human <br />cause. <br />Bill Rose said he has been a bird watcher and Audubon Society member for many years, <br />supported the use permit, thinks the matter is politically motivated, cited dog biting as a larger <br />problem, said hawks capture animals for food and rare attacks are due to being provoked, <br />which is not documented. <br />Dan Carl asked the Council to focus on the matter being a violation of the Municipal Code, <br />questioned its enforcement and policy of allowing residents to hunt and kill animals in a <br />residential neighborhood, cited known and documented attacks, questioned the City's liability <br />and voiced concern that an elected official may receive preferential treatment, precedence and <br />asked the Council to support the Planning Commission's decision. <br />Elizabeth Thompson supported depersonalizing the issue, urged the Council to grant the <br />conditional use permit, said fair treatment has been afforded and knows Falconry is highly <br />regulated. She cited constitutional rights and democracy, political motivation, and asked the <br />Council to consider amendment of the definition of "fowl" or create an exotic animal ordinance. <br />Kay Ayala asked the Council to depersonalize the matter, questioned whether they would want <br />an exotic pet living next door to them, felt the matter would set precedence and questioned if it <br />would be better for Mayor Hosterman to withdraw her appeal. <br />Steve Brozosky said Webster dictionaries typically uses the most archaic version of a definition <br />first, never saw a hawk fitting the definition of fowl and spoke of the precedent of fowl under the <br />Happy Valley Specific Plan's page 29 and the Vineyard Corridor Specific Plan's page 44. He <br />asked the Council to depersonalize the matter and felt there were many more projects staff <br />should work on other than an exotic animal ordinance. <br />City Council Minutes 9 January 15, 2008 <br />