Lawmakers reject Gov. Brown’s call to repeal animal shelter law
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Since Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled his state spending plan in January, California lawmakers have rejected some of the most controversial budget cuts to popular programs: welfare, higher education and kindergarten.
On Tuesday, they added animal shelters to the list.
The Assembly subcommittee on state administration voted to reject Brown’s proposal to veto provisions of California’s animal shelter law. Animal activists have been campaigning for weeks to preserve the mandate, which lengthened the amount of time shelters must hold stray and abandoned pets before euthanizing them.
Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills) took to Twitter to boast about the bipartisan vote.
‘We did it,’ he wrote. ‘We stood up for our 4-legged friends today in #cabudget process by rejecting Governor’s proposal to repeal CA Animal Shelter law.’
The action was the result of a vote on a larger list of mandates Brown wants to eliminate, including the shelter law, which has been suspended since 2009. The governor has said that shortening the hold period from six days to three would save the state tens of millions of dollars.
The administration has cited a 2008 report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office that found ‘no evidence’ that longer holding periods had resulted in increased adoptions, the intent of the law. Brown’s office has also said the state can no longer afford the costs at a time when it is slashing social services to balance the budget.
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--Michael J. Mishak in Sacramento
LosAngeles Times