San Diego Politicians Go Veg for a Week

For the week leading up to Earth Day on April 22, nine San Diego politicians have pledged to go vegetarian as part of the nationwide VegWeek campaign. The group includes politicians from several sectors of the local government such as city council members Georgette Gomez, Chris Ward, and David Alvarez; state senator Toni Atkins; and San Diego Unified School District members John Lee Evans and David Beiser. House Representative Scott Peters praised his colleagues “for the significant contribution that their participation will have on reducing cruelty and increasing sustainability among our community’s food sources.” The initiative was launched in 2009 by Washington, DC-based animal-rights group Compassion Over Killing (COK) to inspire meat-eaters to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet for one week. “Our dietary choices have far-reaching impacts on our health, the planet, and animals,” COK’s Executive Director Erica Meier said, “and every time we choose plant-based foods, we are helping to build a better world.”