Capitol Briefs: Plugging the puppy mill pipeline

A litter of puppy mill bills: Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange) and Assemblymembers Marc Berman (D- Menlo Park) and Steve Bennet (D-Ventura) came together on the west steps of the Capitol to introduce three bills targeting the underground pet market in California uncovered by the LA Times last fall. They were joined by animal advocates and two five-month-old puppies from Sacramento County Animal Services.

The legislation, co-sponsored by the ASPCA (The American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and the San Diego Humane Society, looks to tighten regulations on the sale and importation of dogs and cats, aiming to shut down the puppy mill pipeline.

Image by Jeff Walters, California Senate Rules Photography

The bills come in response to an LA Times investigation that exposed scam marketing and fraud used by out-of-state puppy mills to sell animals as if they were local breeders.

“This package of bills marks another critical step in cutting off the flow of mill-bred puppies into California, ending the inadvertent support of this inhumane industry and protecting consumers from deceit, expense, and heartbreak,” said Jennifer Fearing, representing the San Diego Humane Society.

The measures are:

SB 312, which requires dog importers to submit health certificates electronically to the California Department of Food & Agriculture within 10 days of shipment and requires those certificates to be made publicly available.

AB 506, which voids contracts between California consumers and online pet brokers that require a nonrefundable deposit and/or fail to disclose the original source of a dog or cat prior to a deposit being issued, and further requires sellers to return money to the buyers within 30 days if the contract is voided.

AB 519, which defines a pet “broker” as any person or business that makes a profit by selling animals bred and raised by another, and prohibits those people from selling or “adopting out” pets for a profit.

Wildfire bills sweep through Senate: Senate pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) announced a sweeping package of bills aimed at improving California’s wildfire response and recovery. The package – dubbed the Golden State Commitment – features a wide range of bills that also address insurance and expanded protections for homeowners and renters impacted by fires. The package contains bills authored by 19 different lawmakers, all Democrats.

The package comes one week after Senate Republicans unveiled their own package of wildfire measures.

More new bills: Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced SB 310, a bill that would allow workers to file an independent civil action to obtain wage-theft penalties from an employer; Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) introduced SB 30, which would bar the resale, donation, or transfer of decommissioned diesel locomotives for continued use.

Meanwhile, in other states: The Utah Legislature gave final approval to HB 269, a bill that would require transgender students at public universities to live in dorms corresponding with their sex at birth. The bill heads to Gov. Spencer Cox (R), who has indicated his support for the measure; Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed HB 4144, a measure that clarifies current state requiring law enforcement to temporarily remove guns from a person who has an order of protection against them when the alleged victim successfully seeks firearm removal as a remedy in court.

And something humorous before we go: President Donald Trump is apparently serious about his desire for the U.S. to buy – or maybe even just take – Greenland away from Denmark. Some Danes, however, apparently aren’t worried. Case in point, this petition looking to garner support for Denmark to buy California away from the U.S. It is all tongue in cheek of course, and a not so subtle jab at Trump’s obsession with the place Greenlanders call Kalaallit Nunaat, which translates to “Land of the Greenlanders.” Prime selling points for Danes interested in acquiring our Golden State include our plentiful sunshine, avocado toast and a chance to rename Disneyland Hans Christian Andersenland. Such a deal! Almost 200,000 folks have signed the petition so far.

Capitol Weekly intern Leah Lentz contributed to this story.