Hunting Club President Named to
Fish and Game Commission
The California Fish
and Game Commission is back to its full, five-member strength. Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has appointed Michael Sutsos, 56, of Sonoma, to fill the vacancy
created by the departure of Don Benninghoven.
The move will break an anticipated
2-2 deadlock on MLPA issues as the South Coast region approaches
implementation. If past is prologue, Sutsos was appointed by the governor to
deliver a crucial vote. Former MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force Chair Benninghoven
assumed his place on the commission on the eve of a decisive August 2009 North
Coast MLPA vote, dooming an equally conservation oriented and economically
superior plan backed by fishermen and tribal interests.
One year later Benninghoven lost
his seat when the California State Senate denied to confirm him, largely at the
behest of irate sportsmen.
Unlike Benninghoven, a career
politician, Sutsos is a familiar member of the outdoor community. According to
a release from the governor’s press office, Sutsos has been affiliated with the
Black Point Sports Club since 1972, first as manager and since 1985 as
president. Sutsos is a member of the California Wildlife Association, Mzuri
Wildlife Foundation and California Outdoor Heritage Alliance. Sutsos is a
Republican.
|