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Legislation & Public Policy

Made into Law:

ACR 144: Public Schools: Character Education
PAHS Spearheads a Successful Statewide Resolution on Humane Education

Passed unanimously by the California State Assembly and Senate in the fall of 2016, this bill highlights the teaching of humane education and kindness to animals as an integral component of character education in the public schools. PAHS collaborated with Assembly Member Kevin Mullin (D-San Mateo County) in the writing and shepherding of this resolution. Assembly Member Mullin is an avid animal lover and advocate.

Proposition 2, California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act

Now named California Farm Animal Protection Act, the act mandates that pregnant pigs, veal calves, and egg laying birds (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, guinea fowl) have room to stand up, turn around, lie down and extend their limbs. It does not include dairy calves who replace dairy cows. More than 600,000 signatures were gathered in support of this proposition to bring in to the November ballot. Despite an $8.5 million agribusiness campaign against it, Prop 2 won 63.5 percent of the vote, winning in 46 of 58 counties and attracting more “yes” votes (more than 8 million) than any citizen initiative in California history. PAHS was active in supporting this measure throughout 2008. See our different Prop 2 advertisements in both San Francisco magazine and Sierra Magazine.

California Proposition 12: The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative

This measure, which extended requirements established in Proposition 2 (above), was on the November 6, 2018 statewide ballot as an initiated state statute. It was overwhelmingly approved by more than 66% of voters. The yes vote:

  • Established minimum space requirements based on square feet for calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens.
  • Banned the sale of veal from calves, pork from breeding pigs, and eggs from hens, when the animals are confined to areas below minimum square-feet requirements. Banned from sale in California were all products shipped from other states that did not meet the California requirements.

Update (April 27, 2020): Judge Thomas Whelan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California dismissed a lawsuit to overturn Proposition 12 filed by lobbyists for the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation. This lawsuit was nearly identical to one brought by another industry group, the North American Meat Institute, representing industrial pork and veal factory farms, to halt Prop 12 from going into effect. It too was defeated in November 2018.

California Penal Code 597.7: Animal Endangerment; Confinement in Unattended Motor Vehicle; Violations and Penalties; Removal of Animal If Safety Is in Danger

This statute provides that no person shall leave or confine an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of that animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could be reasonably expected to cause suffering, disability or death to the animal. In 2016, rescue provisions were added that allows a person to remove an animal in danger from a vehicle by breaking into that vehicle if that person called the authorities first and the authorities did not arrive in time to save the animal.

AB 485: Pet Rescue and Adoption Act

Signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown on October 13, 2017, this landmark bill, written by Assembly Members Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) and Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills) banned the sale of mill-bred dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores. These stores are now required to offer dogs, cats, and rabbits from shelters and rescue groups.
 
The effect of this law has been to limit the proliferation of “puppy mills” and similar operations as well as provide greater opportunities for adoption of shelter and rescued pets.

PAHS Encourages You to Support These Legislative Proposals:

SB 580: The Animal Cruelty & Violence Intervention Act of 2019

Supported by State Senator Scott Wilk (R-Antelope Valley) and the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), this bill addresses the link between animal cruelty and violence against humans and measures to stop the escalation of dangerous behavior among offenders who hurt animals.

The bill requires offenders convicted of serious animal abuse crimes, as well as those convicted of crimes associated with underlying mental health issues, such as hoarding, to undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation and possibly ongoing treatment if deemed beneficial by the assessing mental health professional and the court. Judges are also empowered to order people convicted of less serious crimes to enroll in humane education courses that provide people with the skills they need to interact with animals in a positive way.

PAHS recommends that you contact your State Senator by phone or email to support this bill. To reach your Senator, go to: https://www.senate.ca.gov/senators.

SB 64: Pet Microchipping Bill 2019

Introduced by State Senator Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) requires that all municipal animal shelters microchip any dog or cat that is adopted or claimed by a pet owner. Social Compassion in Legislation, which sponsors the bill, notes that “getting pets back to their owners saves municipalities money by reducing the cost of sheltering and timely rehoming efforts, but most importantly saves animals’ lives from needless euthanasia. This bill is a win for animals, families, and taxpayers.”

PAHS recommends that you contact your State Senator by phone or email to support this bill. To reach your Senator, go to: https://www.senate.ca.gov/senators.

AB 273: Wildlife Protection Act of 2019

Written by State Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), this bill would enact a statewide ban on fur trapping. Because there is no law in effect to ban fur trapping, hundreds of coyotes, foxes, badgers, and other fur-bearing animals are trapped statewide each year so their pelts can be sold for a profit overseas. Individual trappers generally concentrate their operations in limited geographical areas, thereby depleting local populations of the species they target, upsetting the ecological balance and diminishing opportunities for wildlife watching in these areas.

Further, commercial animal trapping can involve such cruel and inhumane practices of killing animals through strangulation, gassing, and anal electrocution in order to ensure undamaged pelts. These cruel and inhumane practices have led many famous brands to commit to going fur-free, among them: Burburry, Versace, Gucci, Michael Kors, Armani, Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein.   

PAHS recommends that you contact your State Assembly Member by phone or email to support this bill. To reach your Assembly Member, go to https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers.        

AB 486: Pet Wildfire Evacuation Bill

Introduced by Assembly Member Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), this bill would establish protections for pets during a wildfire evacuation. Under AB 486, if a local jurisdiction requires an owner to obtain a permit to keep animals, then a mandatory requirement of the permitting process must be development of an evacuation plan to be used during a wildfire evacuation. Evacuation plans can provide order in the chaos that can ensue in the wake of wildfires. 

When people stay behind to try to protect pets, they jeopardize not only their safety but also the safety of emergency personnel who are forced into dangerous situations that could have been prevented. In many cases, these preventative measures can save tax dollars by minimizing sending emergency personnel into dangerous situations that could have been prevented.

PAHS recommends that you contact your State Assembly Member by phone or email to support this bill. To reach your Assembly Member, go to https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers.