Bob Barker's 'Right' to Free Speech Comes with...( Recent Comments Made by TV Ga...),Health

Recent Comments Made by TV Game Show Host Spark Controversy

LOS ANGELES, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Barker, the long-time host of the television game show "The Price Is Right," recently spoke out against Concerned Dog Owners of California (CDOC), a non-profit group formed to support responsible dog ownership. The group has spoken out against the mandatory spay and neuter law that went into effect this month in Los Angeles County (isn't it a city, not county, ordinance?). In a letter bearing his name designed to raise funds for the State Senate candidacy of California assemblyman Lloyd Levine, Barker stated, "A group calling itself Concerned Dog Owners of California has been created for the express purpose of trying to defeat Lloyd in this campaign. These foes of humane treatment of animals have hired a political consultant and are raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose Lloyd in his campaign for the State Senate. We cannot let them succeed."

In response Cathie Turner, CDOC's Executive Director issued a statement declaring, "CDOC was formed long before Assemblymember Levine even announced his candidacy for the State Senate." Turner added, "Just one of CDOC's projects is to educate the public about the hazards of too-young mandatory spay/neuter and about better ways of addressing the problem of unwanted pets such as education and low-cost and voluntary spay/neuter at the appropriate age. We certainly did not create this organization to defeat Lloyd Levine."

CDOC is a 501(c)(3) organization which by law cannot endorse a candidate for office or raise funds for a candidate. According to Turner, inaccurate comments such as those by Barker can jeopardize a non-profit organization's tax-free status. CDOC claims they have never raised nor spent a single penny to defeat Lloyd Levine or to elect his opponent. Turner continues, "Far from being 'foes of humane treatment of animals,' CDOC has promoted legislation, including a bill that
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