SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, Calif. Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Burbank) introduced new legislation to provide funds to local animal agencies that comply with the “Hayden Law,” and to fund a new $10 million program to help prevent needless killing of dogs and cats in California shelters.
“The state can do a better job supporting our local network of shelters,” said Assemblyman Gatto, who is a member of the California Animal Protection Caucus. “Too many animals die every year in animal shelters. And our funding of the shelters often leads to paradoxical policies that end up rewarding euthanasia.”
The Hayden Law, a suite of laws enacted in 1998 was designed to protect shelter animals and increase their chances of redemption or adoption. In particular, the Hayden Law extended the minimum holding period before animals could be euthanized from 72 hours to four to six business days, to allow an owner more time to come find their pet at a shelter.
Unfortunately, numerous provisions of the Hayden Law have been repeatedly suspended since 1998 to help resolve California’s budget crisis. This funding problem is not unique to the Hayden Law or animal welfare; local governments have long suffered from problems associated with unfunded and underfunded state mandates, including in education, mental health, and environmental protection.
However, Gatto is working productively with the Governor’s Department of Finance to create a $10 million block-grant program to support the ability of local animal-care agencies to comply with life-saving policies originally found in the Hayden Law, including the extended four-to-six day hold period for shelter animals. Assembly Bill 2343 also aims to save the lives of more animals by enacting changes recommended by a diverse group of experts. These experts have worked together over two years to review statewide sheltering outcomes and identify ways to improve California laws. AB 2343 will give shelters more flexibility to generate positive life-saving outcomes for the hundreds of thousands of homeless dogs and cats that enter California’s shelters each year.
“I strongly support Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s effort to put some teeth in the law,” said former State Senator Tom Hayden, who authored the historic legislation over a decade ago. “Unlike other budget cuts, tens of thousands of dead pets can’t be restored to new owners if and when the state budget climate improves. I call on the entire humane community to fight for this legislation.”
Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly. He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake. www.asm.ca.gov/gatto
