They’re still not legal in California, but ferrets have found a potential friend in La Mesa.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to consider a proclamation declaring La Mesa a “ferret-friendly city.”

As a part of a plan to undo what she considers a “ridiculous” ban on the animals, City Councilwoman Kristine Alessio has pledged to reach out to local legislators to ask for help to allow Californians to keep the animal as a pet.

Councilman Bill Baber also said he would push for a change in state law.


A subcommittee on the issue is looking into a proclamation by the city to officially deem La Mesa “ferret friendly,” which would cement the city’s statement on the animal being unfairly banned.

Ferrets are members of the mustela family, which first in 1933 in California were deemed wild and prohibited to be kept as pets. The animals are legal in 48 states. Hawaii also bans them because of concerns of ferrets as potential carriers of rabies.

They are typically 20 inches long, including their 5-inch tails and weigh anywhere between 2 and 4 pounds. They can live for up to 10 years

Baber said he thinks that people should be able to have ferrets. “It’s a matter of people’s freedom,” he said. “I’m a Libertarian on animals and pet issues. Ferrets are docile little things. I feel bad that pet owners can’t break through the Sacramento bureaucracy on pet issues. If we can do a proclamation that helps the cause, that’s the minimal thing we can do.


“Pets are therapeutic. If your therapy comes from ferrets, then so be it. Who cares what kind of pets people have?”

Two dozen supporters of the animal attended the meeting donning T-shirts reading “Life is Good in Ferret-Friendly La Mesa California” with a photo of a ferret yawning while on his back in a mini hammock.

Before the meeting they gave residents oval bumper stickers reading “Do it for the little guy!” and calendars with photos of ferrets.

La Mesa resident Pat Wright originally requested that La Mesa dub itself a “Ferret Sanctuary City” but then lightened his stance and asked for what he said is a less “dramatic” term.


Wright runs a group called “Legalize Ferrets.” For more than 20 years, he and several thousand ferret owners and supporters have been lobbying across the state to have the animal taken off the restricted species list of the California Fish & Game Commission.

The Fish & Game department maintains that animals like ferrets threaten native wildlife, the state’s agricultural interests, and public health and safety. The department permits ferrets under special circumstances such as medical research.

Wright said he hopes that the City Council members do as they said they would at the meeting — reach out to those in higher office at the state level and give the issue a push.

“Kudos to the city of La Mesa for helping us,” Wright said. “When we go up to Fish & Game, they’re all playing on their smartphones and not really listening. The engagement in La Mesa is different and not something we’ve seen before.”


Alessio has been following the Legalize Ferrets campaign for years, and she backs the group’s efforts. She said she has already made contact with the office of Assemblyman Randy Voepel on the ferrets’ behalf and plans to gauge interest of Assemblymembers Todd Gloria and Shirley Weber.

Legalize Ferrets started a ballot initiative for California in 2015 with a goal of 92,000 signatures but didn’t collect enough to move it forward. The group has been pushing for regulation changes in the state since 1995.

Wright said no actual numbers are kept on how many ferrets are in California homes, but he said he is certain that the state has more ferrets than any other state. He said that nearly one-quarter of the nation’s ferret supplies are sold to people in California.


karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com