09/03/2026
This is Dr. Cheryl Waterhouse, Chair of the California Veterinary Medical Board’s Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee. She also serves on the board of her regional veterinary trade association, the Central California Veterinary Medical Association.
Here, she is presenting an advocacy check to the California Veterinary Medical Association’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Grant Miller....funds intended to support political advocacy on behalf of the veterinary profession.
Why does this matter?
The CVMB and the CVMA have fundamentally different missions. The CVMB’s responsibility is to protect California consumers and the public. The CVMA’s role is to advocate for the veterinary profession and its economic interests.
When one person holds leadership roles within both organizations, it raises legitimate questions about divided loyalties and conflicts of interest...or, at minimum, the appearance of one. Whose interests are guiding decisions when the needs of the profession and the interests of the public do not align?
When political contributions and regulatory influence are added to that overlap, the public deserves transparency and careful scrutiny.
There is a term for what can happen when the industry’s interests begin influencing the body charged with regulating it: regulatory capture.
Regulatory capture is the process by which a regulatory body becomes dominated or disproportionately influenced by the industry it regulates, resulting in policies or enforcement that advance the industry’s interests rather than the broader public interest.
CCVMA Board Member Dr. Cheryl Waterhouse presents a check from CCVMA to Dr. Grant Miller, who accepted it on behalf of the CVMA PAC. CCVMA is proud to support the CVMA PAC and its advocacy for California’s veterinary profession!
