SACRAMENTO (AP) -- With a July 1 deadline looming, a coalition of California chefs has filed a petition with the state Legislature hoping to get a ban on foie gras overturned.

      Lawmakers in 2004 gave chefs and the state's sole producer of the fatty duck liver seven years to comply with a law outlawing the sale and manufacturing of foie gras, arguing that the force-feeding required to produce the delicacy is inhumane.

      One hundred chefs joined forces on Monday to keep the dish on their menus. Coalition spokesman Nathan Ballard says their petition argues that this is not the time to impose on restaurants already hurting from the economic downturn.

      Former Sen. John Burton, who sponsored the original bill, says restaurant owners have had enough time to come up with new delicacies to serve customers.
      

      
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