L.A. City Council Approves Historic Spay-Neuter Measure
Mayor Villaraigosa to sign ordinance into law on Feb. 26th
In our February 6th eNews, we reported that the Los Angeles City Council had voted overwhelmingly in favor of a historic spay-neuter measure, but that a second reading was required for the ordinance to become law. We are pleased to report that, as expected, the City Council passed the proposal by a margin of 14-1, making Los Angeles the largest city in the nation to ratify such a comprehensive companion animal sterilization law.
The ordinance sponsored by District 7 Councilman Richard Alarcón will officially become law when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs it, which he is scheduled to do at a press conference on Tuesday, February 26th. The signing is being timed to coincide with the 14th annual Spay Day USA, when communities across the nation promote spaying and neutering of animal companions, and offer free and low-cost sterilization services. Los Angeles will hold its Spay Day L.A. on February 24th, and provide free spay-neuter services for dozens of cats and dogs from a mobile veterinary unit at City Hall, and is already one of the nation's leaders in offering free and low-cost spay-neuter services for qualified residents in the majority of its jurisdictions.
The new law, which requires sterilization of most cats and dogs over four months of age, will bolster these efforts, and drastically reduce the number of animals relinquished to Los Angeles shelters. Last year, the city's shelters took in more than 45,000 homeless cats and dogs, and killed more than one-third of them. The new spay-neuter law will not only help Los Angeles reduce overcrowding in shelters, but also curtail dog-fighting and animal hoarding while saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
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