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Senate Bill 250 has been referred to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and will be heard next Tuesday, June 30th. It is vital that concerned fanciers, dog owners, breeders, and clubs immediately notify the committee members of their ongoing opposition to the measure.

We are still awaiting the amendments that Senator Florez promised as the bill left the Senate. The amendments are expected to address exemptions for working dogs or those involved in hunting activities. A second amendment will require sterilization the 2nd time a dog is at-large, rather than the first. Until we see the text of these amendments, we cannot know their impact.

The American Kennel Club opposes Senate Bill 250 as it continues to use sterilization as a punishment for any violation of the animal control ordinance and for failure to license. Strict limit laws and unreasonably high license fees contribute significantly to people’s failure to license their animals and these issues should be examined in dealing with the over animal control issues in the state.

Finally, existing state law already requires that owners of intact animals pay a license fee that is at least double that to license a sterilized animal (Food and Agriculture Code Section 30804.5); and provides for enhanced and graduated fines for owners whose intact dogs are impounded (Food and Agriculture Code Section 30804.7). These statutes are sufficient to incentivize owners to sterilize their animals and to address animal control concerns with specific intact animals who are impounded repeatedly.

This legislation will not improve the lives of cats and dogs, will negatively impact responsible owners and breeders. Additionally, by placing additional burdens on owners of intact animals, this measuremay lead to an increase of animals in shelters.Concentrating animal control efforts on dogs whose behavior demonstrates that they are a problem for the community, regardless of their reproductive status, would be a much better use of taxpayer funds.

What You Can Do:

  • Attend the Business and Professions Committee hearing to oppose SB 250.

    June 30th at 10am
    State Capitol, Room 447
    Sacramento, CA 95814

  • Contact the members of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and ask them to oppose Senate Bill 250. Please click here for a sample letter.
  • Ask your club to write a letter opposing SB 250. For a sample letter for clubs, please click here.

 

Assemblymember Mary Hayashi  (Chair)
Assemblymember.Hayashi@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone (916) 319-2018
Fax: (916) 319-2118

Assemblymember Bill Emmerson (Vice-Chair)
Assemblymember.emmerson@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2063
Fax: (916) 319-2163

Assemblymember Connie Conway
Assemblymember.Conway@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2034
Fax: (916) 319-2134

Assemblymember Mike Eng
Assemblymember.Eng@asm.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2049
Fax: (916) 319-2149

Assemblymember Edward P. Hernandez
Assemblymember.Hernandez@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2057
Fax: (916) 319-2157

Assemblymember Pedro Nava
Assemblymember.nava@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2035
Fax: (916) 319-2135

Assemblymember Roger Niello
Assemblymember.niello@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2005
Fax: (916) 319-2105

Assemblymember John A. Pérez
Assemblymember.John.Perez@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2046
Fax: (916) 319-2146

Assemblymember Ira Ruskin
Assemblymember.Ruskin@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2021
Fax: (916) 319-2121

Assemblymember Cameron Smyth
Assemblymember.Smyth@assembly.ca.gov
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0000
Phone: (916) 319-2038
Fax: (916) 319-2138

Senate Bill 250 has been referred to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and will be…