Animal Rights Attorney, Dan Kapelovitz, runs for Governor
August 31, 2021
Dan Kapelovitz is running for governor in the 2021 Recall Election in California. He has defended the rights of non-human animals as well as Animal Liberators!
Dan is endorsed by the Green Party of California
A group of vegans from the Green Party of California asked Dan Kapelovitz about his views involving Animal Rights and veganism. This is what he had to share with us...
"I became vegetarian around 2000 when I first started living with cats and couldn't believe people could eat animals after knowing how great they are. And in law school, I became vegan after reading about the factory farming involved in the dairy industry in an Animal Law class, in 2008.” - Dan Kapelovitz
Animal Rights Q&A with Dan
California AB 479 (2019) aimed to fund vegan options for millions of students in a CA school lunch program. The bill died, unfortunately, but would you support such a program?
I would support such a program.
Why aren't non-human animals also entitled to universal suffrage?
Unfortunately, I think a lot of people just see non-human animals as things and not as beings with feelings, thoughts, etc. The law also often treats animals as just property, but is slowly improving on that front.
Do you support reducing the suffering of animals raised for food (ending the use of cages, etc.)?
Yes.
What was your position on CA Prop 12?
I supported it, but did not think it was strong enough.
What actions would you take to ensure companies implement Prop 12 as California voters want?
Fund inspectors to do unannounced visits.
Do you support protections for slaughterhouse workers against meat companies?
Yes.
Will you improve access to healthy vegan food for communities of color and low-income communities? If so, then how?
Get healthy vegan food in schools is a start. Improve economic conditions for all Californians. And I’d like to hear what other ideas people have on this subject.
If you are the governor are you going to implement a vegan curriculum in high school? If so, how?
School nutrition education needs to be based on the truth. When I was a kid, we were taught about nutrition through charts that were literally sponsored by the meat and dairy industry, telling us we had to have a certain number of servings of meat and dairy a day to stay healthy.
Do you support a “meat tax?” If so, how would you justify it when critics call it “regressive,” ie- disproportionately affecting lower-income individuals?
I’m not sure that a meat tax is the answer. I do believe that once vegan options are as inexpensive as non-vegan options and the public is convinced that they taste as good (if not better) and have the same nutritional value, more people will chose vegan options more often. Enforcing animal welfare laws and implementing new, stronger ones would also likely increase the cost of meat. But I agree that an increase in the cost of any food hurts the poor more than the rich.
Can you share an interesting moment from your time as a Legal Observer and/or as defense for Animal Rights demonstrators?
One time, I was serving as a legal observer for some animal rights activists in Santa Monica, and someone pulled a gun on us. The police harassed us (as they often did) and did not care at all that someone had threatened our lives.
Dan Kapelovitz