Complaining that "common sense has lost to petty politics," an angry state Sen. Henry Mello on Wednesday blasted the gun lobby and a coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats who have killed his feral pig legislation.

The bill, SB 1957, was introduced on behalf of beleaguered rural residents in the Monterey Bay region who contend with herds of wild porkers that can dig up their gardens, fields and meadows like bulldozers run amok. Mello, a Democrat from Watsonville, has noted that residents in 45 California counties report pig problems, with Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey and San Benito among those with the most severe.

Although SB 1957 got four votes in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on Tuesday, it needed seven to go before the full Assembly. Earlier, Mello's bill had passed the Senate without a dissenting vote. Three members dissented Tuesday.

Mello lambasted the gun lobby for opposing his measure. He said that powerful group "doesn't seem to care about protecting families' livelihoods," noting that farmers and some others depend on their land for crops and income.

In an unusual move, Mello released a copy of the analysis of his bill that was given to GOP committee members by the Republican leadership.

That document did point out that Mello's measure had support from the Santa Cruz County and California Farm Bureaus, the state Cattlemen's Association, the counties of Santa Cruz and San Benito and the California State Association of Counties. It listed gun and hunting groups as its only opponents. They were the California Rifle and Pistol Association, Safari Club International, the California Sportsman's Lobby and the Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California.