CITY OF LOS ANGELES

JUNE LAGMAY City Clerk

HOLLY L. WOLCOTT Executive Officer

___

When making inquiries relative to this matter, please refer to the

Council File No. 09-1064

CALIFORNIA Office of the

CITY CLERK

Council and Public Services Room 395, City Hall

Los Angeles, CA 90012 General Information - (213) 978-1133

Fax: (213) 978-1040

www.cityclerk.lacity.org

ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA

MAYOR

July 1, 2010 Carmen A. Trutanich, City Attorney City Hall East, Room 800 REQUEST FOR ORDINANCE: IMPROVING AND STREAMLINING DOG LICENSING

REGULATIONS AND PROCESSES Dear City Attorney Trutanich: At its meeting held June 28, 2010, the Public Safety Committee considered the attached report from Department of Animal Services dated April 29, 2010, relative to improving and streamlining dog licensing regulations and processes. At that time, the Committee requested that you prepare an ordinance to amend the Los Angeles Municipal Code to incorporate the proposals contained in the Department's report. Please transmit your ordinance to the Public Safety Committee, in care of the City Clerk's Office, City Hall Room 395. Sincerely, John A. White, Legislative Assistant Public Safety Committee 213-978-1072 cc: Debra Gonzales, City Attorney attachment 09-1064_rpt_ps_07-01-2010

An Equal Employment Opportunity – Affirmative Action Employer

COMMISSIONERS

DEPARTMENT OFANIMAL SERVICES

221 North Fig ueroa Streets" Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90012(888) 452-7381

FAX (213) 482-9511

BOARD OFANIMAL SERVICESCOMMISSIONERS

City of Los AngelesCALIFORNIA

MELANIE RAMSAYERPRESIDENT

IRENE G. PONCEVICE PRESIDENT KATHLEEN J. DAVIS

INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER

TARIQ A. KHERO

KATHLEEN RIORDAN

LINDA J. BARTHASST. ·GENERAL MANAGER

RUTHANNE SECUNDA

ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSAMAYOR

April 29, 2010

Honorable Antonio R. ViHaraigosaMayor, City of Los AngelesCity Hall Room 300Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa:

At the meeting of April 27, 2010, the Board of Animal Services Commissioners voted torecommend that the Mayor, and subsequently the City Council, direct the City Attorneyto make additional modifications and additions to the Los Angeles Municipal Code(LAMC) Section 53,00 et. seq. relative to improving and streamlining dog licensingregulations and processes, in order to achieve increased revenue and higher rates ofcompliance. Because these changes have a direct and meaningful impact on revenues,we respectfully request expediting this report if possible.

On February 23, 2009, the Board approved recommending to the Mayor and CityCouncil a slate of amendments to the LAMC to update and improve the dog licensingprocess. Those recommendations were approved and forwarded to the City Council,which on May 19, 2009, directed the City Attorney to prepare and present the necessaryordinance to amend LAMC as proposed by the Board (CF 09-1064). In working with theCity Attorney to provide language for late fees, addition issues and improvement ideasarose, which were considered by the Board at meetings in March and April. Thesechanges can be integrated into the draft ordinance already in preparation. The specificrecommendations are:

r:::> Establish 100% Late Fees ($15.00 and $100.00)r:::> Reduce Timellne for Late Fee (or Penalty) from 45 days to 30 daysr:::> Eliminate the 45-Day $500 Civil Penalty¢ Establish a Field Collection Fee Per Location of $25 to be charged only when a dog

owner has received notice to license a dog or dogs or be subject to the fieldcollection fee, and field collection takes place thereafter

¢ Eliminate any reason for a license refund¢ Enable unaltered licenses to be sold while enforcing spay/neuter requirements on a

parallel track

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Visit our website at www.LAAnimaIServices.com

April 29, 2010Mayor Antonio R. VillaraigosaAdditional Dog Licensing Modifications and AdditionsPage 2

¢ Establish a 50% discounted license fee of $7.50 in place of the free license forseniors and disabled

¢ Establish that a three-year unaltered license will be sold for a $40, a $5 discount offthe total of three $15 licenses, as an inducement

The Board also recommended that your office and Council consider pre-approval of anamnesty period of at least 90-days before implementation of the late fees and fieldcollection fees, to be used in conjunction with a public outreach campaign to increasedog licensing.

The proposed changes are discussed in more detail in the attached Report of theGeneral Manager. If your staff has any questions, please contact Assistant GeneralManager Linda Barth at 213-482-9558.

Attachment

cc: Jim BickhartDoug TrippJason Killeen