Newark Mayor Cory Booker turned vegetarian to show sympathy toward animals. Booker told animal advocates Frances Hayward and Humane Society of the US president Wayne Pacelle at the nonprofit’s charity gala at Cipriani last week that he’s become a vegetarian as part of his anti- animal cruelty campaign. Booker received the Humane Public Servant Award, and told attendees his birthday wish is to build a state-of-the-art animal shelter named after Patrick, the starving New Jersey pit bull thrown down a trash chute by its owners and then rescued.