Senate Standing Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development

Thank you so much Mr. Chair, senators. ACR 86 would encourage state, local, nonprofit and private partners to work together to implement solutions that address the state's animal shelter overpopulation problem. California's animal shelters are overcrowded and overwhelmed. Many shelters are so full that they're forced to resort to extreme measures, like turning away stray animals and euthanizing healthy ones for space. Fortunately, spay and neuter surgeries are an effective means of limiting the unchecked pet population.

However, unsubsidized spay and neuter surgeries are expensive, costing hundreds of dollars per animal. Likewise, the supply of low and no cost services cannot meet demand, leading to months-long waitlists for many procedures. This issue is further exacerbated by a chronic veterinarian shortage that leaves critical spay and neuter facilities without proper staffing. ACR 86 recognizes and addresses the many compounding causes of the animal shelter overpopulation crisis. First, it urges the Veterinary Medical Board to encourage out of state veterinary staff to register to practice in California.

Second, it encourages state, local, nonprofit and private partners to develop and fund high volume spay and neuter services across the state. Finally, it asks the state to encourage Californians to adopt animals from shelter, instead of buying them from breeders. By encouraging these steps, ACR 86 aims to alleviate the pressure felt by our animal shelters, and ensure that they're able to give vulnerable animals the care that they need. And ultimately, by investing in spay and neuter programs, investing in our shelters, we save money in the long run. The costs of these overrun shelters is enormous. And we know that additionally, just by looking, no matter where you are in the state, in Los Angeles, I'm in San Jose, we can see the crisis unfolding before our eyes.

In fact, today -- earlier today at a press conference, we heard from a local representative from the Sacramento SPCA, who indicated that they built a beautiful $4 million facility that can do spay and neuter. The problem is, there aren't enough veterinarians to actually do the procedure, so they're only servicing 20,000 animals a year. They can do a whole lot more. And I bet we can repeat that story throughout the state. And so I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to present ACR 86.

Grateful to the many co-authors, both on the Assembly and Senate side, and with me to provide supporting testimony are: first, Priscilla Presley, actor, philanthropist, and extraordinary global animal advocate, and followed by Judie Mancuso, founder, CEO and president of Social Compassion in Legislation. Presley?

Before we proceed with your lead witnesses, assembly member, let's establish a quorum.

Roth. Here. Nguyen. Alvarado-Gil. Here. Archuleta. Here. Ashby. Here. Becker. Dodd. Here. Eggman. Here. Glazer. Niello. Here. Smallwood-Cuevas. Wahab. Wilk.

We have a quorum. Ms. Presley, thank you for joining us.

Good afternoon, Chair Roth and committee members. Thank you for allowing me to speak with you, today, about ACR 86 and its call to action, that I hope you will all take to heart. Sadly, our approach to combating pet overpopulation has been ineffective and incapable of prevention, as we tend to tackle it in a reactive manner, rather than adopting a proactive and cost effective approach.

The most important aspect of this resolution, in my opinion, is that it highlights the importance of prevention, which is consistently more economical than reacting after the fact. Our local jurisdictions spend over $400 million per year, in operating animal shelters and animal control. But as a state, we contribute less than $500,000 towards spay and neuter programs. Our state must become as proactive in this field, as it is in numerous other domains.

To make substantial progress in reducing overpopulation and mitigation the associated cost of animal services throughout the state, it is imperative that resources are allocated to expand low cost spay and neuter services across the state. But more than a physical issue, this is a humane issue. Dogs and cats languish in our state's shelters, oftentimes with very little interaction with other animals or loving human companions. And when they're not being adopted, which is the majority of them, they are euthanized.

We have a moral obligation to prevent harm to these animals, which have evolved and been bred to love us and need us. Let me just say in closing, that for animals in California, today is an important day to take a stand. California has often been a guiding light, leading the nation and embracing change for the better. It's time for us to shine that light on the welfare of our animal friends.

This humble proposal calls on this legislature, the governor and all stakeholders to support affordable veterinarian care and spay neuter services to those who need it most, by making it affordable and accessible, which is not the case now. In our home together, Elvis always had a special bond with his animals, especially his dogs and horses. He would move heaven and earth to ensure their well being. And we were a team in that way.

And it's why I continue to do what I do for animals around the globe, speaking to those who have the power to change things to be better. So I thank you for the invaluable time and attention today. I ask that you please listen, not just with your ears, but with your hearts, to the voices that cannot speak, but resonate through our actions. I have faith in our elected representatives, and I eagerly anticipate the positive changes that will ripple across California when you choose to stand with us on this journey. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Presley. Ms. Mancuso.

Hi. Thank you so much for having this hearing for us today. Let me tell you how we got here. At the beginning of the year, my group comes up with the bills that we're going to do, and we shop for authors. But my phone was ringing off the hook, week after week, from rescue community, shelter workers, shelter directors, saying, "Judie, we're over capacity. We're turning away animals. There's no veterinarians. Do something. What can you do?"

Because I've been in this arena for 17 years -- most of you know me -- that I've been here, doing this, for a very long time. And I said, "Well, we need a state of emergency." So I contacted the governor and I said, "We need a state of emergency for our animal shelters." And he was kind enough to dedicate a staff person to me that I spoke to. And I found out that state of emergencies are only for natural disasters and war.

So given that, we needed to do something, and we needed to do it right away. And I approached the biggest animal lover in the state legislature, Assembly Member Ash Kalra. And I said, "Please, Ash, can we do something? Even if it's a resolution, let's just set the narrative here." Because after COVID, things look good at COVID, "Oh, the shelters are empty. Everybody's adopting." Well, what happened was they did, but then when they returned to work or they lost their home, they ended up relinquishing their animals.

And the other thing that happened to us, is that people started breeding for that quick buck, right? Because a lot of people were out of work. And so they decided, "Wow, here's an opportunity," and they started breeding. So we had shelters closing. Thank you, Senator Nguyen, for joining us. And the senator knows, in Orange County, we just had a grand jury report out, about our shelters being closed and they need to be open.

This is not just Orange County, it's Contra Costa, and it's across the state. So what we're asking of you is to help us to reset the narrative on adopt, spay and neuter, stop breeding and give money from the state on a sustainable basis, because the local jurisdictions cannot handle it. So I went completely off script, but I think I've said my piece. So thank you and we look for your help today, but every day going forward, until we solve this. So thank you.

Thank you for joining us. Now, let's turn to any other witnesses, here in Room 2100, who wish to testify in support of ACR 86. Any witnesses in support? Step on up.

I wasn't prepared, but I'm always prepared for animals. I'm Simone Reyes. I'm on the board of Social Compassion in Legislation. I'm the Vice President of Communications. Over the pandemic, it was all hands on deck. I'm a well-known animal rights activist, but I joined in immediately, because I saw that the shelters were in trouble. And what I found, actually, was that it's not only dogs and cats, it's also farm animals. A farm animal is basically purchased by breeders. People think that they're micro pigs.

There's no such thing. Suddenly they're 150-200 pounds. They end up in the shelters, where they're either euthanized or they're adopted out without being fixed. They could have as many as 13 babies. It's horrific. And these are little pigs, typically, that are smarter than toddlers, scientifically proven to be smarter than our beloved dogs. So anything that you can do to help this situation, we as rescuers are drowning and we are desperate. Thank you.

Thank you for joining us. Any other witnesses in support? Seeing none. Let's turn to any lead witnesses in opposition, here in Room 2100. Any opposition witnesses in the hearing room? Seeing none. Let's turn to witnesses waiting to testify via the teleconference service. Moderator, if you'd please prompt any witnesses waiting to testify, either in support or in opposition to this measure, we'll take that testimony now.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And if you wish to speak in support or opposition, please press one, then zero at this time. And just a moment, Mr. Chair, while we gather the line number. And we'll go to line number 12. Please go ahead.

Hi, I'm Stephanie Stephens with the Greater Los Angeles Animals Spay Neuter Collaborative and my rescue, called Feline the Love. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I want to be brief, but this means a great deal to me. It's 2023 and we're killing cats, dogs and other animals in a shelter -- in our shelters, rather, at a rate that seems very unrealistic. We are California.

We're known for leading. Being the state, however, now, with the second highest rate of killing shelter pets, and that's depending on the data that one is using. On Facebook, post after post illustrates the emergency in the state. Thousands of cats and dogs and their kittens and puppies with no home, living outside, good Samaritans pleading for help for them and overwhelmed rescuers, some of them that I know, doing without food that they need, paying their rent to help the animals. Residents may not understand spay neuter or where to get it, how to pay for it. I hope we can have free or very low cost, accessible, convenient spay neuter and culturally appropriate educational campaigns to support that funding for veterinarians, vet techs and faculty to teach them.

And given the scientifically documented loneliness and isolation that affects large swaths of our population in this country and in the world, really, it doesn't make sense to kill so many domestic animals that could provide invaluable companionship, if they were paired with a human. And people like us who love our pets know this and know the joy they bring. We can do better. And this comprehensive resolution, beautifully written, spells out what we need to do and what we can do. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, ma'am. If we have other callers on the line, I realize this is a very important and emotional issue. This is the time, however, where we take name, affiliation, and either support or opposition -- stated just like that -- with respect to the measure. So, Moderator, next please.

And Mr. Chair, we have no one else in queue at this time.

Well, that's a fine way to end public comment, then. Let's bring the matter back to the dais. Members, any questions? Comments? I see Senator Eggman.

Thank you. I guess I'd like to ask the assembly member, how many pets do you have? Since you've been identified as the person who loves pets more than anybody else in the legislature.

At the moment I don't, only because I'm with my father and I'm trying to get him there. Although I had a breakthrough this weekend. We finally agreed to adopt a dog, and so we're moving in the right direction. I have had pets in the past, though.

Okay. All right. Well, I just like to say, as somebody who has two cats, two dogs, and two chickens and routinely saves animals, and most all my friends have a dog that I have saved and found a home for, and I will move this resolution. But I'd also like to say: I think we can do better, and I think we can do more. I would also like to -- you know -- and to the activists who are here, thank you very much. Ms. Presley, very nice to see you.

Ms. Mancuso, also. I've seen you on the magazines more. But I think we should also spread it out, as we have done with other health care issues, right? That it shouldn't just be the veterinarian who can do this. As a combat army medic, I know laypeople can do a whole lot of things, and spay and neutering is not that difficult to be able to do. I have participated in vasectomies myself.

Not saying that I want to do that on a dog today or tomorrow. But as we have done with our medical care, and extending who can do procedures, I just suggest if we do that also in our animal health care, we'll get a lot more providers that are able. And I would certainly hope the veterinary community doesn't push back, like CMA has in the past, as we tend to expand the scope. But I think what we all know is the need is there. And the more people doing safe, effective spay and neuter, the better off all our animals are.

Thank you, senator. Senator Ashby.

Thank you. And thanks to the advocates who made their way up here today. That's much appreciated. Assembly Member, you mentioned the Sacramento SPCA, which is squarely in my community here -- and they are an amazing -- I mean, 20,000 is actually a lot, right, that they've done. But you're right, they have the capacity to do more. And there are several shelters in the region that I think could do more if your bill passes.

I would also just add that coming from local governance, there are also animal committees at almost every city level. And generally speaking, there's a category that you have to fill, of some type of veterinarian. And very often, that seat goes unfilled on these boards because it's so difficult to find somebody who meets that criteria. And what those boards do for the region is make decisions about what kinds of resources will be allocated, to which areas, inside of animal control.

And so if you had more veterinarians in that space -- I guess this is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy -- there would be more conversation around the need for spay and neutering and more conversation around spending additional dollars to recruit. So I agree with my colleague, who obviously, as the chair of the Health Committee, has some experience in this. But we need to be doing some legislation that also enhances growth of the industry and incentivizes people to enter that area of care.

Obviously, UC Davis, best veterinary school -- I think, in the world -- right here in our community, where Senator Dodd and I get to represent them. And there has to be a way that we can partner with them to continue to increase the number of people who can go out into the community and help us with this population issue. It's a big deal. Thanks for bringing the legislation forward.

Thank you, senator. Seeing no other hands, assembly member, would you like to close?

Thank you so much, Chair. And I want to appreciate our colleagues. Senator Ashby raises a good point. A big part of this is education. And we know at the local level -- I was at the San Jose shelter a couple of weeks ago; they're really working hard, but they're struggling -- and we absolutely need more education on the level of the crisis. And we obviously need to get more veterinarians engaged. To Senator Eggman's point -- look, I'm bringing this resolution forward. This is a team effort.

I look forward to all ideas and legislation coming forward. We're going to need a number of pieces of legislation. I love the idea. Senator Eggman would fully support it. I look forward to talking more about that and other ways that we can encourage more veterinarians, whether it's traveling veterinarians, what have you, or expanding scope of practice with other types of techs and what have you, to do the service, because there's no one solution to this.

This is a crisis. And I really appreciate all the feedback that we can get, if we're able to successfully get this resolution passed. And last thing I'll mention, it was mentioned in a lot of conversations today, is that we recently lost Bob Barker, and he was such a huge -- I didn't know what spay and neutering was until I watched The Price Is Right as a kid and asked questions, because he kept on saying it at the end of every show.

But I don't think you can underestimate the value of us, regardless of our platform. I'm really letting folks know the degree to which we have an issue. I'm very grateful to Ms. Presley for being here and using her platform, not just here, but globally, on issues of animal welfare. But I think we all can play a role, especially in our positions, to ensure that California can become a leader, especially coming out of COVID, in ensuring that we're taking care of our pets and making sure our shelters are also taken care of. Thank you. With that, I ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. The bill has been moved by Senator Eggman. It's a great bill. The motion is to be adopted and re-referred to Appropriations. Please call the roll.

Roth. Aye. Nguyen. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. Aye. Archuleta. Aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye. Dodd. Aye. Eggman. Aye. Glazer. Aye. Niello. Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Wahab. Wilk.

Bill has ten votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent members. Thank you very much, sir. Thank you.

Let's open the roll back up on ACR 86. The current vote is 10-0. Chair voting aye.

Smallwood-Cuevas. Wahab. Aye. Wilk.

Vote now is 11-0. We'll hold the row open for absent members.

Okay. Let's open the roll on ACR 86. Current vote is 11-0. Chair voting aye. Please call the roll.

Smallwood-Cuevas. Aye. Wilk.

Okay. The vote is 12-0. And that matter is out. So that concludes our agenda today. The Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee is now adjourned.