Hi, just got this, didn't know if you were aware of the timeframe. LA city council needs to hear from their constituents and everyone else too NOW

this is a fler and contact info

Jen

FWD:

It is scheduled for the LA City Council agenda for Tuesday, August 14 -- item # 43, page 26


http://tinyurl.com/2b7qae


Because of that, people need to call & arrange appointments to meet with their city council people on MONDAY!!!!!! Call NOW!

I just called & am meeting with mine on Monday @ 11A.

We have ZERO time to dawdle! Please everyone -- stop talking to each other & start talking to your LA City Council People & their staff NOW!

Florence

please check out this flyer too:

MANDATORY
SPAY & NEUTER
IS COMING TO LOS ANGELES
City of Los Angeles Draft for new MSN & Breeders law submitted July 30, 2007

This is a backdoor attempt to pass AB1634. If Lloyd Levine, Judie Mancuso, & Ed Boks can say that the City of Los Angeles has adopted this proposal for MSN & microchipping, then the entire State of California should consider the bill’s passage. They will use this opportunity to "educate the Senators" – Lloyd Levine's own words. We MUST stop this here & now! We stopped it in Sacramento & we MUST do the same in Los Angeles! We can no longer hide! We already know the arguments against this. We MUST WRITE, ATTEND HEARINGS, & FIGHT!

"The City Council, on April 17, 2007 adopted a resolution in support of AB 1634. However, the City should not wait for Sacramento to act on the pending legislation & instead should take a more proactive stance by adopting an ordinance with the provisions of the California Healthy Pets Act customized for Los Angeles." – Edward A. Boks, General Manager, LAAS

* CONTACT YOUR LA CITY COUNCILMEMBER NOW! *
Below are LA’s 15 council districts: Councilmember, telephone #, & room number @ City Hall.
While there are only five (5) PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE members, it is important that all
Los Angeles City Council Members become "educated” about the flaws & fallacies of this proposal & AB 1634.

1st ED P. REYES, (213) 485-3451, Room 410, Public Safety Cmte Member
2nd WENDY GREUEL, (213) 473-7002, Room 475
3rd DENNIS P. ZINE, (213) 473-7003, Room 450, Public Safety Cmte Member
4th TOM LABONGE, (213) 485-3337, Room 480
5th JACK WEISS, (213) 473-7005, Room 440, Public Safety Cmte Chair
6th TONY CARDENAS, (213) 473-7006, Room 455
7th RICHARD ALARCON, (213) 847-7777, Room 425
8th BERNARD C. PARKS, (213) 473-7008, Room 460, Public Safety Cmte Member
9th JAN PERRY, (213) 473-7009, Room 420
10th HERB J. WESSON, JR., (213) 473-7010, Room 430
11th BILL ROSENDAHL, (213) 485-3811, Room 415
12th GREIG SMITH, (213) 485-3343, Room 405, Public Safety Cmte Vice Chair
13th ERIC GARCETTI, (213) 473-7013, Room 470, Council President
14th JOSE HUIZAR, (213) 485-3335, Room 465
15th JANICE HAHN, (213) 473-7015, Room 435

Go to your Councilmember's website & read about the district's profile, the member’s biography, & sign up for their newsletters. Get to know them & their staff! Let them get to know us! http://www.lacity.org/council.htm

Contact your Councilmember, Council President, Public Safety Committee Chair, Vice Chair, & all Members of the Public Safety Committee. Let the Committee members know that you are a constituent & that this legislation affects the ENTIRE City. It is imperative that Councilmembers understand your concerns & your reasons for opposing MANDATORY spay/neuter.

MEET WITH YOUR LA CITY COUNCILMEMBER ASAP
Make an appointment to meet with your Councilmember to discuss this issue!

City of Los Angeles Draft for Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Subject: ORDINANCE REGARDING ANIMAL SPAY, NEUTER & BREEDING

Ladies & Gentlemen:
At its meeting of July 23, 2007, the Board of Animal Services Commissioners voted to request that the City Council direct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance & submit it to the Council, for approval, amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) Section § 53.00. et. seq., to allow the Department of Animal Services (Department) to spay or neuter any animals taken in or subject to enforcement & to require microchipping of any animal to obtain a valid breeding permit. It is further recommended that the City Attorney draft language to strengthen breeding & transfer regulation, & other related enabling modifications, all as described below.

At its meeting of June 7, 2007, the Board approved a report which responded to a motion introduced by Councilmembers Richard Alarcon & Tony Cardenas, seconded by Councilmember Janice Hahn for Councilmember Herb Wesson, Jr., to mandate the spaying & neutering of domestic cats & dogs in the City, with exception for licensed breeders (Council File 07-1212). The motion was an outgrowth of the Council's discussion on April 17, 2007, regarding support for California Assembly Bill (AB) 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act. The motion by Councilmembers Alarcon & Cardenas, however, intended for the Department to work on legislation that would more immediately & precisely impact the City's pet overpopulation crisis. In accordance with the Motion, the proposed ordinance is to be consistent with provisions of AB 1634 but adapted to the specific needs of Los Angeles, including an expanded program to assist pet owners earning less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level to spay & neuter their pets.

The Board's action on June 7, 2007, directed staff to work with the City Attorney on preparation of the Ordinance, to include provisions that strengthened current breeding & transfer regulations, & to report back on progress & details of any proposed legislation. Also, on June 25, 2007, the Board held a field meeting at the East Valley Animal Care Center to take public comment on proposals for a City spay/neuter ordinance. Much of the comments were reflective of positions on AB 1634, but also provided important input to staff & the City Attorney. AB 1634 has passed the California State Assembly, & is pending for consideration by the Senate Local Government Committee. Efforts to educate on the Bill & to consider modifications are still underway. Public input, learning that has come from the AB 1634 experience, & discussion among staff, the City Attorney, & other agencies, have all condensed to suggest Ordinance changes that specifically target areas of greatest need in dealing with animal issues. The recommended provisions to be included in the LAMC amendment are embodied under three major objectives:

Increase Spay/Neuter
Under any state-wide or local mandatory spay/neuter law, the Department would enforce the regulation in connection with other regular patrol & enforcement duties, for example but not limited to when a stray animal is picked up, when an animal is alleged to have attacked another animal or a person, or when a person is neglecting an animal or refusing to license it. These are the animals that are the greatest source of problems both in safety & pet overpopulation, because animals which are unsterilized are generally more aggressive & more likely to stray, & of course are able to obey their biological drive to reproduce. The majority of all animals involved in acts of aggression or which come into our care centers are not spayed or neutered.

Therefore, we propose to focus the first phase of a City of Los Angeles mandatory spay/neuter effort on those animals that are most critical to improving the City for animal & human safety. Specifically, LAMC would be amended to require that:

~ Any animal which is redeemed by an owner, & is not otherwise spayed or neutered, must be spayed or neutered before it can be redeemed, or it must be forfeited to the Department, & would then be sterilized prior to adoption; &,
~ Any animal that is subject to enforcement action, including license revocation hearings for excessive barking, or behavior that while not deemed dangerous was an attack on another human being or animal as a result of improper or negligent training, handling, & maintenance, must be spayed or neutered.
~ The exception to the above would be in the case that an intact animal license & a breeder's permit were in full force & effect. In such cases, the first time an animal was impounded, it would be redeemed to the owner without sterilization. The second time it came in the system, however, the animal would be sterilized.
~ A pregnant animal taken into a shelter, without an owner with a valid breeder's permit & intact license, will be spayed & the unborn animals removed, if medically safe. If not medically possible, the animals born will become property of the City, & the mother will remain impounded until the babies are weaned & ready for adoption. After that time, the mother will be spayed & returned to the owner, or placed for adoption.

A person redeeming an animal which is not spayed or neutered would, in addition to any other applicable fees, reimburse the full price to the City for the spay or neuter services, instead of the subsidized price.

This strategy responds to concerns about making sufficient low cost spay/neuter available in connection with any mandatory requirements. While disabled, senior, & low income animal owners will continue to have access to the City's many existing subsidized & free spay/neuter programs, those owners who need to sterilize their animals prior to redemption will be able to do so at the extraordinary low cost that the City pays directly to veterinarians ($60 for males, $68 for females). This would be in contrast to the typical price paid privately to veterinarians for spay/neuter, which is nowhere lower than $100 & in most practices well over $200. But by reimbursing the City's direct cost, we make low cost spay/neuter available with only a negligible cost to the City, to administer the spay/neuter program.

Animals which would be subject to this mandatory spay/neuter would be two months or older, which is consistent with the Vincent bill. Because any animal, properly maintained, permitted, & licensed, would not be subject to mandatory sterilization under this provision, the concerns over the optimum spay/neuter age for various categories of show dogs, purebreds, service dogs, & the like would be less of an issue.

Mandatory Microchipping
The Board has already acted to request a change in LAMC so that redeemed animals, like adopted ones, must be microchipped. For purposes of tracking animals that are intact & have a breeder's permit, we propose that the animal must be microchipped as a condition for licensing & permit. An intact animal picked up without a microchip will pay the higher, non-adoption fee for microchip implantation, currently at $25 versus the adoption-related fee of$15.

Strengthen Breeding & Transfer Regulations
The City was typically progressive when amending the LAMC in 2000 to add breeding & animal transfer provisions, & an altered/unaltered license differential to motivate increased voluntary spay/neuter of dogs. As the Department has implemented these regulations, embodied in LAMC 53.12.5, some vulnerability has become obvious.

There is no permit requirement for those who sell or broker the sale of puppies, kittens, dogs or cats that are not bred on their premises. This lack of a permit has crippled enforcement & resulted in thousands of unaltered & unidentified puppies & kittens being bred & sold without any breeder permit. There is no provision for controlling a seller who claims that the puppies or kittens were bred outside the City limits, & there are no provisions for inspection of the property before/after the permit is issued or even when there is evidence that offspring & probable parents are present on the property. All the seller has to say is that the dog or cat was bred outside of the City of Los Angeles & officers may be left without options for any enforcement activity. No verification or follow-up on the maintenance condition/verifiable identification of animals being bred or produced through breeding is included within the current ordinance.

Neither is there currently any mandate for those who engage in the cottage industry of "hobby" or backyard breeding to obtain a business license & tax permit as is required of all other in-home businesses. Thus the financial burden for thousands of pets intentionally bred for profit & often subsequently impounded & euthanized falls entirely upon the taxpayers. A review of any edition of the L.A. Times classified ads will reveal the enormous number of puppies/kittens continually offered for sale by backyard breeders. There is a disincentive for participation in voluntary spay/neuter programs among those who purposefully breed purebred animals because of the untaxed, cash revenue they garner.

Therefore, we propose changes to LAMC 53.15.2 as follows.

~ Establish as a parallel to the Breeder's Permit a Transfer Permit which would be required for all those who sell, broker the sale, or in anyway transfer animals for profit, which animals were produced outside the City of Los Angeles & imported into the City for sale or are advertised for sale from a location within the City limits. This permit must also require that such animals are microchipped & licensed.
~ Add requirements that any person with a Breeding or Transfer Permit also acquires appropriate state & local business & sales tax permits & licenses & complies with all tax laws & regulations.
~ Breeding permits are to be required whether the production of offspring results from sexual activity or artificial insemination & whether or not such sexual activity was intended by the owner.
~ Allow inspections of permitted breeding premises.
~ Prohibit breeding of animals for fighting & allow revocation of permits upon evidence that breeding is for the purpose of fighting.

To recap, tens of thousands of pets are born each year in Los Angeles unwanted & abandoned. Left un-spayed & un-neutered, these animals propagate far beyond the capacity of the local animal care centers, animal rescue groups, & the community to accommodate them. Neighborhoods deal with roaming & sometimes dangerous animals while the Department grapples with the pressure to euthanize some animals to make room for more. The financial cost to taxpayers, & the emotional toll suffered by Department employees & the communities who take care of these animals, are extremely high. The recommendations above represent a prudent first step in dealing with this crisis & making a positive difference in our City.

FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department already manages a $1.2 million spay/neuter program, redeems animals back to their owners at an unprecedented rate, processes licenses & permits, & handles animal-law enforcement & administrative hearings. The changes recommended would have minor costs related to perform a few additional steps to existing infractions, but would be offset over time as the number of animals & animal-related calls dropped when more animals are unable to reproduce.
Sincerely,
Edward A. Boks, General Manager

June 12th, 2007 report prior to the above draft DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES

Dear Committee Members,
At its meeting of June 11, 2007, the Board of Animal Service Commissioners (Commission) voted to approve a motion to request the City Council to direct the City Attorney to prepare an Ordinance amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to mandate the spaying & neutering of domestic cats, dogs, & rabbits by the time the pet is four months old, with specific exception for licensed breeders, to be consistent with provisions of Assembly Bill 1634 but adapted to the specific needs of Los Angeles. The Commission further directed the General Manager to work with the City Attorney concurrently on the recommended provisions of such Ordinance, to include necessary modifications to the Breeding & Transfer sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, & to bring recommended provisions back to the Board for further consideration & referral to Council.

BACKGROUND:
Councilmembers Richard Alarcon & Tony Cardenas introduced a motion, seconded by Councilmember Janice Hahn for Councilmember Herb Wesson, Jr., to mandate the spaying & neutering of domestic cats & dogs in the City, with exception for licensed breeders (Council File 07-1212). The motion was an outgrowth of the Council's discussion on April 17, 2007, regarding support for California Assembly Bill (AB) 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act. The motion by Councilmembers Alarcon & Cardenas, however, is predicated on the position that the City has a pet overpopulation crisis, & that we should not wait for pending legislation at the State level to address the City's problems. Tens of thousands of pets are born each year in Los Angeles unwanted & abandoned. Left un-spayed & un-neutered, these animals propagate far beyond the capacity of the local animal care centers, animal rescue groups, & the community to accommodate them. Neighborhoods deal with roaming & sometimes dangerous animals while the Department grapples with the pressure to euthanize some animals to make room for more. The financial cost to taxpayers, & the emotional toll suffered by Department employees & the communities who take care of these animals, are extremely high.

In accordance with the Motion, the proposed ordinance should be consistent with provisions of AB 1634 but adapted to the specific needs of Los Angeles, including an expanded program to assist pet owners earning less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level to spay & neuter their pets.

The California Healthy Pets Act (AB 1634) would require the spaying & neutering of most cats & dogs by the time the pet is four months old. Pet owners who have not spayed or neutered their pet would be cited & given time to spay or neuter their pets before a fine would be assessed. Local animal control agencies would be responsible for enforcing the California Healthy Pets Act. A portion of the fines collected would be used to expand the availability of free or low-cost spay or neuter programs & other outreach efforts.

The California Healthy Pets Act exempts: (We KNOW that this is a red herring!)
~ Purebred dogs & cats whose owners obtain a permit
~ Dogs who work as guide dogs, service dogs, or signal dogs
~ Dogs who are used by law enforcement agencies for law enforcement or rescue activities
~ Dogs & cats whose veterinarian determines that due to age, poor health, or illness it is unsafe to spay or neuter them
~ Non-resident show dogs & dogs brought into the state for exhibition

The benefits of a local mandate will mirror those of the California Healthy Pets Act, & are numerous. Medical research shows that spayed or neutered cats & dogs live longer & healthier lives. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends early spaying & neutering because younger animals recover faster & with less pain. In addition, the number of diseased cats & dogs that enter shelters & harm otherwise healthy & adoptable pets would be reduced as overall population falls. Mandatory spaying & neutering will reduce the dangers caused by roaming stray animals, the transmission of rabies, & injuries from dog bites. Unaltered dogs are three times more likely to attack humans & other pets. Reducing the number of unwanted dogs, cats, & rabbits will reduce the costs associated with caring for & euthanizing them.

In order to propel this local mandate, Staff recommends that the Board endorse the Motion & transmit to the Council the Department's request to prepare an Ordinance as described, in accordance with the Charter requirements. The Ordinance should include revisions, deletions, or additions to all sections of LAMC needed to effectuate the mandate of spay neuter with exceptions for licensed breeders, including Section 53.15.2 Breeding & Transfer of Dogs & Cats. Concurrently, the General Manager & staff will be working closely with the City Attorney to draft specific provisions we would recommend to encompass this Ordinance. Those recommendations will take the form of a further report to the Board for Ordinance to Mandate the spaying & Neutering of Domestic Cats & Dogs consideration & for request for approval to transmit to Council as further response to this Motion. To be included in that report or a separate report will be information & recommendations, in response to the Motion, for expanding existing spay/neuter programs to assist pet owners earning less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level to spay or neuter their pets.

FISCAL IMPACT:
Fiscal impact is unknown at this time. While there may be some short-term impact due to changes in enforcement procedures or assistance for spay/neuter, however there will be overall & long-term reductions in expenses as the number of animals taken in & quantity of animals running loose or biting is diminished.
Sincerely,
Edward A. Boks
General Manager
EB:LB:RP


Action Needed

The COUNCIL FILE # 07-1212 has been assigned for Consideration of Motion (Alarcon-Cardenas-Wesson) relative to mandating the spaying & neutering of domestic cats & dogs by the time the pet is four months old, with specific exceptions for licensed breeders, consistent with provisions of Assembly Bill (AB) 1634.

Go to http://cityclerk.lacity.org/CFI/ & enter "07-1212" (You will be able to see the file "history" at this website. Please remember to check back for updates on status!) I am including "07-1212" at the end of this email with all file "history."

We suggest that you phone John White (213) 978-1072 or Public Safety Committee Chairman Jack Weiss
(213) 473-7005 for information regarding MSN & calendar/agenda.

Information for the PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE:

Time: Mondays at 10am

Location: CITY HALL [Room 1010]
200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012


Committee Chair: Jack Weiss, City Hall Office (213) 473-7005
Vice Chair: Greig Smith, City Hall Office (213) 473-7012
Members: Bernard Parks, City Hall Office (213) 473-7008
Dennis Zine, City Hall Office (213) 473-7003
Ed Reyes, City Hall Office (213) 473-7001

Legislative Assistant: John White, (213) 978-1072, John.White@lacity.org
Alternate Legislative Assistant: Patrice Lattimore, (213) 978-1074. Patrice.Lattimore@lacity.org

The City of Los Angeles has 15 Council districts. If you are uncertain of your district, look on the right hand column for "MY NEIGHBORHOOD." Here you can find main number, field/district offices, phone #s, & email.

To find your district here: http://www.lacity.org/council.htm
To view or listen to Los Angeles City Council meetings: http://www.lacity.org/cdvideo.htm
For CALENDAR of upcoming LA City Council meetings: http://parc1.lacity.org/appldept/calendarme/filedocs/all/councilcalendar.cfm

For information on all CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS (committee name, time & location, chair/vice chair, legislative assistant/alternate legislative assistant, & telephone numbers so you can communicate directly with your Councilmember): http://cityclerk.lacity.org/cps/pdf/clkasgn.pdf

For further questions, contact COUNCIL CLERKS:
Maria Kostrencich (213) 978-1057 Maria.Kostrencich@lacity.org
Brian Walters (213) 978-1056 Brian.Walters@lacity.org
Alternate Council Clerk: Sharon Gin (213) 978-1064 Sharon.Gin@lacity.org


COUNCIL MEMBERS


1st ED P. REYES (213) 485-3451, Rm 410
2nd WENDY GREUEL (213) 473-7002, Rm 475
3rd DENNIS P. ZINE (213) 473-7003, Rm 450
4th TOM LABONGE (213) 485-3337, Rm 480
5th JACK WEISS (213) 473-7005, Rm 440
6th TONY CARDENAS (213) 473-7006, Rm 455
7th RICHARD ALARCON (213) 847-7777, Rm 425
8th BERNARD C. PARKS (213) 473-7008, Rm 460
9th JAN PERRY, (213) 473-7009, Rm 420
10th HERB J. WESSON JR., (213) 473-7010, Rm 430
11th BILL ROSENDAHL (213) 485-3811, Rm 415
12th GREIG SMITH (213) 485-3343, Rm 405,
13th ERIC GARCETTI (213) 473-7013, Rm 470, Council President
14th JOSE HUIZAR (213) 485-3335, Rm 465
15th JANICE HAHN (213) 473-7015, Rm 435


File Number: 07-1212 Last Changed Date: 08/01/2007
Title: MANDATE SPAYING & NEUTERING / CATS & DOGS / FOUR MONTHS OLD
Initiated by: Alarcon / Cardenas Mover 2007 / Hahn for Wesson, Jr.
Subject: Motion - Each year, almost 50,000 unwanted & abandoned cats & dogs are born in the City of Los Angeles. Left un-spayed & un-neutered, these animals propagate far beyond the capacity of the local shelters, animal rescue groups & the community to accommodate them. Shelters are often forced to euthanize young & healthy animals to make room for more; puppies & kittens are euthanized at the highest rate, twice as many cats than dogs. The financial cost to taxpayers, & the emotional toll suffered by shelter employees & the communities who take care of these animals are extremely high.
The California State Legislature is currently considering AB 1634 (Levine) also known as the "California Healthy Pets Act 2007" requiring the spaying & neutering of most cats & dogs by the time the pet is four months old. Pet owners who have not spayed or neutered their pet would be cited & given time to spay or neuter their pets before a fine would be assessed. Local animal control agencies would be responsible for enforcing the California Healthy Pets Act. A portion of the fines collected would be used to expand the availability of free or low cost-spay or neuter programs & other outreach efforts.
The City Council, on April 17, 2007 adopted a resolution in support of AB 1634. However, the City should not wait for Sacramento to act on the pending legislation & instead should take a more proactive stance by adopting an ordinance with the provisions of the California Healthy Pets Act customized for Los Angeles.
Currently, the City of Los Angeles Animal Services Department maintains a budget of $22 million & it is estimated that $12 million of that money is used by pets that end up dying. The Department also offers $2.2 million in vouchers for spaying & neutering services for low income pet owners.
THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, instruct the Los Angeles Animals Services Department, to submit a proposed ordinance that would mandate the spaying & neutering of domestic cats & dogs by the time the pet is four months old, with specific exceptions for licensed breeders. The proposed ordinance should be consistent with provisions of AB 1634 but adapted to the specific needs of Los Angeles, including an expanded program to assist pet owners earning less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level spay & neuter their pets.
REFER TO COUNCIL FILE 07-0002-S65
Date Received: 04/18/2007 File History:
4-18-07 - This day's Council session
4-18-07 - Ref to Public Safety Committee
4-18-07 - File to Public Safety Committee Clerk
5-9-07 - Council Action - Continued to May 11, 2007
5-11-07 - Council Action - Motion ADOPTED (Public Safety Cmte waived consideration of the above matter)
5-16-07 - File in files
6-18-07 - For ref - Communication from the Dept of Animal Services, dated June 12, 2007, relative to directing the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance amending the LAMC to mandate the spaying & neutering of domestic cats, dogs, & rabbits by the time the pet is four months old, with specific exception for licensed breeders, to be consistent with the provisions of Assembly Bill 1634 but adapted to the specific needs of Los Angeles.
6-20-07 - Ref to Public Safety Committee
6-20-07 - File to Public Safety Committee Clerk
7-30-07 - For ref - Communication from the Department of Animal Services, dated July 26, 2007, relative to directing the City Attorney to draft an ordinance amending the LAMC Section 53.00, et. seq., to allow the Department of Animal Services to spay or neuter any animals taken in or subject to enforcement & to require microchipping of any animal to obtain a valid breeding permit & to strengthen breeding & transfer regulation, & other related enabling modifications.
7-31-07 - Ref to Public Safety Committee - to Committee Clerk