West OC Times

Two bills aimed at increasing transparency at county animal shelters passed unanimously in the Senate this week and are now headed to the Assembly. Senator Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) introduced the legislative package to ensure shelters are held accountable by publicizing their euthanasia data and requiring veterinarians to provide complete medical reports.

“Taxpayers fund these shelters, so the public needs to see what is happening behind the scenes,” Senator Janet Nguyen stated. “For example, we have a right to know euthanasia rates, but information like this is difficult to obtain without a public records request. Animals have no voice, so I will be their voice by requiring transparency for their living conditions.”

California currently lacks a standard for shelter data reporting. Data is crucial in decision-making processes for animal rescues and helps shape resource allocation, care plans, adoption strategies, and fundraising efforts. Website reporting is already standard in numerous cities and counties across the nation, including Dallas, Texas, where comprehensive data is posted daily.

SB 1459 mandates that shelters in large counties post monthly reports on their websites detailing numbers of intakes, outtakes, euthanasias, and other types of deaths animals endure. This bill passed with unanimous support on Tuesday. SB 1478 also passed unanimously today; it establishes protocols for shelter veterinarians regarding medical chart notations on several fronts including time frames for intake examinations, controlling acute pain, treating disease, and reasoning for euthanasia.

Together, these bills aim to create an environment where the public can compare facilities and exert pressure on substandard shelters to improve while allowing excellent shelters to stand out.