Many thanks to Jodi for this concise write-up!
In January, the Ventura County Animal Services Commission approved a mandatory spay/neuter proposal that would apply only to “pit bulls”. That proposal was sent to city governments and county leaders for consideration in coming weeks.
It appears there are many divisions among city leaders with respect to the proposal, and we may have an opportunity to change its course. The cities of Ventura, Oxnard, and Simi Valley, California are scheduled to address the proposed ordinance by the end of March. In April, the commission will discuss the proposal again, and if a majority of cities in the county have approved it, the measure will go before the supervisors.
Regardless of your position on spaying and neutering of pets, it is important to remember that any law that applies to one breed or grouping of dogs involves the practice of breed profiling and is breed specific legislation. Breed specific MSN is fraught with the many problems associated with BSL, and opens the door for future additional breed restrictions.
Please contact the city council members of these cities and encourage them to seek a solution that does not single out one breed of dog. Suggested alternatives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/6v4j4yy
City of Ventura Mayor and City Council
mike.tracy@cityofventura.net, cheitmann@ci.ventura.ca.us, nandrews@ci.ventura.ca.us, bbrennan@ci.ventura.ca.us, jmonahan@ci.ventura.ca.us, cmorehouse@ci.ventura.ca.us, cweir@ci.ventural.ca.us
City of Oxnard Mayor and City Council
drtomholden@aol.com, irene.pinkard@ci.oxnard.ca.us, bryan.macdonald@ci.oxnard.ca.us, timbflynn@gmail.com, carmen4oxnard@gmail.com
City of Simi Valley Mayor and City Council
bhuber@simivalley.org, bwilliam@simivalley.org, gbecarra@simivalley.org, ssojka@simivalley.org, mjudge@simivalley.org
All alerts for Ventura County: http://stopbsl.com/?s=ventura+county
Pit bull spay proposal drawing mixed support among cities
By Hannah Guzik, Ventura County Star
Posted March 3, 2012An ordinance proposing mandatory spaying and neutering of pit bull terriers countywide is drawing mixed support even as Ventura County Animal Shelter workers say the policy would reduce euthanasia rates.
The Ventura County Animal Services Commission approved the proposal in January, sending it to city governments and county leaders for consideration in coming weeks.
The commission hopes each city council and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors will adopt the ordinance. If the proposal doesn’t win approval across the board, it will be difficult to enforce, said Monica Nolan, animal services director at the shelter in Camarillo.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/03/pit-bull-spay-proposal-drawing-mixed-support/#ixzz1oCO6Ipin
Fred M. Kray
krisdiaz9
Stop BSL 
As a owner of 4 pitbulls…….I am fully supportive of a mandatory spay/neuter bill. There is a 93% euthanasia rate for this breed alone and it is heartbreaking. If they are all fixed, then they will not be overbred and used for dogfighting and other horrific things. People do not understand this breed and they are always accused of everything. Any dog can be mean, it is all how you raise them, so if spaying and neutering will give them all a chance to live out their lives without the threat of being banned, then I am all for it. As a Pitbull owner for over 30 years, that has always been my first issue is to have them fixed. I hate to see these dogs bred over and over again and then thrown away after they are done with them. A more strict animal abuse law should also be put into affect as so many people abuse these poor helpless animals and then they move on to their next victims. So, kingly take this into consideration as well. Let’s all be the voices to these animals!
StopBSL supports spay/neuter generally. But this is a breed-specific law, which by definition will be applied unequally to people based solely on whether their dog “looks” desirable or undesirable. That is discriminatory, and that’s not okay. Laws should not discriminate against people based on what their dog looks like.
There has also been no evidence that BS-MSN decreases shelter killing. In some cases, killing increases. I cannot think of a single no-kill community that has breed-specific MSN. BSL often prevents communities from achieving no-kill.
Hear hear. No BSL. No mandatory spay/neuter either.
Low-cost/no cost spay/neuter for all breeds. That works.
Breed specific is a dangerous way to go. What next
dobermans, shepherds? Back yard breeders are the issue, not those found as strays and therefore are unwanted and therefore more than likely not claimed and ending up killed.
So where is the benefit to reducing the numbers?.