. . . . UPDATES CONTINUED

         12/18/06  -  WHO IS ARIZONA CURE ???

Arizona CURE is a recently-formed organization that supports bringing Covance to Chandler.  Chaired by former mayor Jim Patterson, AZ CURE has made headlines recently with the number of "statements of support" they claim to have from local residents, encouraging Covance to build here.  Citizens Against Covance has learned that these testimonials may have been obtained fraudulently or by using misleading methods.  AZ CURE employees use telephone solicitation to call people at home and convince them that Covance is right for Chandler.  The resident is then sent a form letter, composed and edited by AZ CURE, to sign and mail to city officials, pledging their support for Covance.  Below is an example of the accompanying letter of explanation that
AZ CURE also sends to residents, urging them to mail their "statement of support" to the Mayor
and City Council:
 

Another revealing document that we are able to make public exposes the depths to which
Arizona CURE will go in order to drum up public support.  By law, any correspondence sent to the city of Chandler automatically becomes public record; therefore Citizens Against Covance was able to obtain this next letter which was sent to the Mayor & City Council.  It was written by a Chandler resident whose family was contacted by AZ CURE:
 

Next time you read in the newspaper about how many thousands of letters and "statements of support" Arizona CURE claims to have from local residents, take a minute to question exactly how these testimonials were actually obtained.  Citizens Against Covance recently got a chance to
head down to the city offices and examine some of these statements supporting Covance. 
Here is one example:

Obviously it appears not all of these "statements of support" are from actual Chandler residents.  Moreover, an overwhelming number of these identical forms are from people who support Covance building at the former location, at Germann & Price Rd.  Months after the site change, it is not known how many of these proponents are now still willing to consider themselves supportive of Covance's new location, thereby making these hundreds if not thousands of signed statements invalid. 

Exactly how many jobs will be created by Covance's new facility in Chandler?  Is it 400 new jobs, as claimed in various newspaper articles and as shown above on the many "statements of support" that Arizona CURE has been soliciting?  Or is it 2,000 jobs, as shown on AZ CURE's own website?  Citizens Against Covance believes that residents deserve to know all the facts before making a decision.  We will not be tricked into blindly supporting Covance, no matter how much money they have to spend on their efforts.

         12/11/06  -  NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS

Covance, Residents Talk Issues -
Security Tight During Session With Company Executives
by Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 13, 2006


Amid tight security, ordinary Chandler residents had their first
opportunities Monday and Tuesday to mingle with executives of drug-
testing giant Covance and learn more about the company that plans to
build a research facility on 50 acres at Gilbert and Ryan roads.

Invitations were mailed to people who live in several nearby
subdivisions, including Peterson Farms, Paseo Trails and Allen
Ranch. Those attending were required to sign a good-conduct agreement,
saying they would not distribute fliers and that they understood that
disruptive behavior would result in being ejected from the meeting in
a hangar at Chandler Municipal Airport.

The company, which uses animals in drug trials, has been a lightning
rod of controversy since it picked Chandler for its next facility.
Well-organized local and national opposition groups have staged
rallies and protests.

The format was an open house. Visitors - 121 people were listed on
the sign-in sheets Monday - walked amid a series of information
displays. Posted at stations along the way were nearly a dozen
executives flown in from sites of Covance facilities at Madison,
Wis.; Vienna, Va.; and the headquarters, Princeton, N.J.

Topics included the various phases of drug development and "animal
enrichment" - things the company says it does to improve the quality
of life for its animals, such as playing music and opening cage walls
to let dogs socialize with each other occasionally.

For monkeys in long-term tests, employees arrange cages and screen
movies, usually children's animated films, said Steve Glaza, manager
of toxicology studies and one of the Covance employees who met with
residents.

"At first you think it's silly and no animal would watch that," Glaza
said, "but we found they do. They really do like that time."

George Macedon, president of the homeowners association at Peterson
Farms, was among those who came to learn more. "Our board has taken
a stance that we cannot persuade or dissuade anybody (about Covance),"
he said. "We take a neutral approach."

Macedon said people should look at the Covance issue with an open
mind.  Macedon said Covance is just one part of larger plans for
developing the Chandler Airpark, and he's also worried about future
traffic congestion.

Jeffrey L. Owen, who lives nearby in Sun West Trails, has other
concerns.

"Chandler deserves a company that is honest and forthright, and I'm
not sure Covance is the answer," he said. "I'm worried about people's health,
myself and my kids. . . . They brought their big guns out tonight. They're
doing the right thing by meeting with people, but they have a lot to prove."

He said he asked questions about a possible incinerator at the site
for disposing of animal carcasses and felt he didn't get complete
answers.

"They tell you, 'I don't know about it,' and they nod and move you
along and say 'Have you met so-and-so?' "

Dr. Rene Ryba's research company, Advanced Cellular Technology, is
trying to get funding, and if it does, he may do business with
Covance.  "I want to know more about them," he said. "We might use
them for some trial."


[source = http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/1213cr-covance1213Z6.html]

According to Covance's local PR rep Camilla Strongin, there are several more of these Neighborhood Meetings planned.  While these information sessions are mainly geared towards residents of nearby subdivisions, their strict admittance policies are drawing the criticism of many people in the community, including Councilman Matt Orlando.  Below is an example of an invitation to one of these Neighborhood Meetings that was mailed to residents of Peterson Farms and Paseo Trails subdivisions:

Citizens Against Covance has a problem with this for many reasons.  To begin with, Covance claims they are a "drug development company" in this flyer.  We believe this is not entirely true; Covance does not actually develop medicines like Lilly, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer do. They are simply a contract laboratory and are paid to test the new medications on animals.  Covance does not actually perform any drug Research & Development as they would have you believe. 

This misleading information is actually repeated four times in the wording of this flyer.  Another thing left out is the full range of substances Covance tests on animals.  Life-saving medications are of course prominently mentioned, but curiously absent is cosmetic ingredients, household products, tobacco, and pesticides, all of which Covance tests regularly or has tested on animals in the past.

         12/8/06  -  WASTEWATER CHEMICAL ISSUES

As part of their planning and zoning requirements packet, Covance will be obligated to fill out a questionnaire identifying which hazardous chemicals will be potentially flushed down the drain into the city's wastewater system.  Below is a partial sample of what this form looks like, along with a list of 126 common chemicals.  However, how will the city test for the presence of substances that are so newly invented that they don't even have names yet, much less approval by the FDA?
    

         11/30/06  -  TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK IN MADISON, WI

Citizens Against Covance broke this story to the media in late November 2006, and it was covered by everything from TV stations and NPR (National Public Radio) to newspapers in Phoenix and even in Madison itself.  Click on the headline below to go directly to our TB page, with links to the coverage of this bombshell.

         11/28/06  -  AN OPEN LETTER TO COVANCE EMPLOYEES

Thinking about relocating to Arizona? Understand that you are likely to receive a cool reception from the community if you accept that transfer to Chandler. Expect your new neighbors to recoil with disgust when you tell them which company you work for.  Be prepared to fumble your way through an explanation every time someone asks where you work.  Is it worth it, to move across the country to a place that doesn't even want your company here?  Hmmmmm....maybe it's best not to accept that relocation offer after all!
 

         11/16/06  -  ALL OUR VICTORIES

The activism and enthusiasm shown by the anti-Covance movement is making a huge impact.  Thank you to all the citizens who are helping us achieve success in so many areas.  It's because of our efforts that we're making Covance do a lot of things they didn't think they would have to do:

It's because of us they are spending money on PR firms and ill-advised marketing efforts.
It's because of us they had to spend millions AGAIN on ANOTHER property.
It's because of us they have to pay people to stand in front of the library and lie to try to drum up support.
It's because of us they had to pay someone to drive all over town with mobile billboards, featuring a misleading sign directing people to an irrelevant website.
It's because of us that city officials are flooded with emails and calls every day.
It's because of us that families drive by our protests on the weekends and honk their horns, clap their hands, give a thumbs up, or simply roll down their windows to say "THANK YOU!"
It's because of us that city officials are having to write their own self-serving editorials to the newspapers, trying to convince the public they have made the right decision.

So for those who think we are not making a difference, think again!  The American College of Toxicology held their 2006 Annual Meeting in Palm Springs in November 2006.  The latest buzz is that Covance is shocked by the vigor of all the opposition to them building in Chandler.  We are making progress, and it is all because of the efforts of every single person out there working to spread the word about Covance.  Good job team!   

         11/01/06  -  WANT MORE INFORMATION?

If you have an HOA board, school, office, neighborhood group, church, etc. that would like to learn more about the issues surrounding Covance, please let us know.  Citizens Against Covance volunteers are available to give a short presentation and discuss Covance with your group, so you can make an informed decision about whether you want Covance building in your area.  Simply contact us by clicking here.