FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 11, 2022

Assembly Member Santiago and Dog and Cat Bill of Rights Supporters Celebrate National Pet Day

AB 1881 promotes the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of dogs and cats by informing potential adopters of the animal’s needs before they adopt. This bill would require a public animal control agency or shelter to post a copy of the Dog and Cat Bill of Rights accessible to public view. This bill will help improve the overall wellbeing of adoptive cats and dogs and is expected to be heard in Assembly Business and Professions Committee on April 26th, 2022.

(Sacramento, CA) – On National Pet Day, Assembly Member Santiago and supporters of the bill AB 1881 (the Dog and Cat Bill of Rights) are highlighting the importance of respecting our pets. Today is a reminder of how our pets help us and how we need to support them. Current and potential pet owners are responsible for maintaining and caring for their pets and AB 1881 will help inform dog and cat owners of the best ways to care for their animals.

“Today we are reminded to appreciate our furry friends. That’s why I authored AB 1881 to elevate the conversation around standards of care for cats and dogs because they deserve to be cared for properly” said Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, lead author of this bill. “To prevent the mistreatment of these animals, potential pet owners must be aware of the responsibilities they have prior to adopting. AB 1881 will move us closer to having all dogs and cats loved and respected.”

“As we celebrate National Pet Day, we are so appreciative of Assemblymember Santiago for recognizing the need to uplift the conversation around the rights our dogs and cats deserve every day of the year,” said Judie Mancuso, Founder and President of Social Compassion in Legislation. “Those rights go beyond just food, water, and shelter. As stated in the bill, dogs and cats have the right to be respected as sentient beings that experience complex feelings that are common among living animals while being unique to each individual.”

Assembly Member Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization and Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Los Angeles County Homelessness. He also sits on the Assembly Committees on Public Safety, Health, Higher Education and Utilities and Energy. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.

L.A. Mayoral Candidate Forum on Animal Protection Video!

Thank you to those of you who tuned into the first ever Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate’s Forum on Animal Protection last week. And for those who missed it, the entire Forum is now online HERE.

A huge thank you to the candidates, Kevin de Leon and Mike Feuer, for taking time to discuss their views with the animal protection community. We also thank Mark Thompson for doing an absolutely fantastic job as host. Mark was able to tie together the conversation between the candidates beautifully. And, of course, thank you to the other organizers; the L.A. Democrats for the Protection of Animals (DPA), Michelson Found Animals, Michelson Center for Public Policy, and the Greater L.A. Animal Spay & Neuter Collaborative.

All of the participants were thrilled to be a part of the first of its kind forum and applauded how far the animal rights community in L.A. has come over the last couple of decades.

DPA president, Dr. Jim Jensvold, opened the ceremony by welcoming everybody and asking for the publics participation in protecting animals. “We are proud to co-host this Mayoral Forum, and we welcome the candidates and all the attendees and all the people who will be watching the video of this Forum later. We hope to elevate animal protection issues at the local, county, state, and even federal level. We really need your help and participation.”

“How invigorating and what an exciting time for all of us to gather here this evening,” stated Vince Wong, Director of Government Relations at the Michelson Center for Public Policy. “Michelson Found Animals and Michelson Center for Public Policy are super thrilled to be partners in this important conversation for animals here in Los Angeles.”

“It has been a long time coming for us to have animals on the agenda in the political arena. When I started working on animal issues over 20 years ago, it was not easy to get our elected officials to pay attention,” said Judie Mancuso, Founder and President of Social Compassion in Legislation. “Thankfully, many of our politicians in LA have given animals the attention they deserve and have made LA a world leader in the animal rights movement. Having sponsored 19 bills which were signed into state law, I know first-hand that the progress made in LA acts as a stepping stone for laws passed in Sacramento and beyond.”

The candidates had a lot to say about animal protection issues such as animals in housing, animal shelter problems, and protecting wildlife and wild spaces.

In closing, Candidate Kevin de Leon stated, “We want to live in harmony with our four-legged friends. I believe in the power of this great city. I believe we can make Los Angeles a 100% no-kill city. I believe we can make more animal-friendly city from our apartment buildings, to our shelters, to our parks.”

Candidate Mike Feuer closed by saying, “When it comes to the broad array of issues we’ve touched on tonight, from biodiversity, to ensuring that tenants have a place to live with their animal companion – I have a record on each of these issues and I look forward to building on it as your teammate when I’m mayor.”

Please watch the video to hear what else the mayoral candidates, Mike Feuer and Kevin de Leon, had to say about their views on animal protection in L.A.!

We cannot thank you all enough for your support. All the support letters and calls are essential for success!

Please go to our How-to-Help page to sign on to our support letters for this and all of our bills!

If you have already made a donation…thank you so much! If you have not, please consider making one today.

Thank you so much,
Judie Mancuso, founder/CEO/president
Social Compassion in Legislation