Simi Valley, CA update: Council delays decision on BS-MSN

Simi Valley city council has delayed until a future meeting (date unknown) their decision whether to pass breed-specific mandatory spay-neuter.

The council meeting packet for March 27 contains an excellent letter from P.A.P.A Director / S.P.A.R.C President Diane Rowley Van Sickle. The letter clearly outlines the problems with BS-MSN and specific reasons why it’s unlikely to be effective in Ventura County. It is well worth a read, and begins on page 6 of this PDF: http://simivalley.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=829&meta_id=46090

The next city council meeting will take place on April 9 at 6:30 PM. It is unknown whether this issue will be on the agenda. However, residents may comment during this meeting.

Please encourage the city of Simi Valley to drop the breed-specific language in their proposal. Breed-specific MSN—like any other breed-specific law—discriminates against people and their dogs based on whether the owner or dog have a “desirable” or “undesirable” physical appearance. Breed identification is a subjective, non-scientific process, which results in unfair and unequal application of the law. Disputes over breed identification are also inevitable, and appeals and court cases fighting breed designations are expensive and resource-consuming.

StopBSL takes no position on mandatory spay/neuter as long as it is not breed-specific. Whether you support or oppose MSN, it doesn’t need to be breed-specific. If MSN is good for dogs that look like “pit bulls,” it is good for any dog. By removing the breed-specific focus, the city of Simi Valley can avoid the expense and inequality that goes with BSL.

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 Simi Valley: http://stopbsl.com/?s=simi+valley

Simi Valley council delays decision on mandatory pit-bull neutering

By From staff reports
Posted March 27, 2012 at 6:21 p.m.

The Simi Valley City Council has postponed a decision on an ordinance that would require residents to spay or neuter their pit bulls, saying it wants more research.

[…] “You’re asking us to do mandatory (spaying and neutering) when the ASPCA says voluntary is the best approach,” Mayor Bob Huber told Monica Nolan, director of Ventura County Animal Services.

[…] The council delayed the matter to another meeting to gather more information from the Humane Society, Simi Valley veterinarian Lowell Novy and others.

Full article retrieved 3/29/12 from http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/27/simi-valley-council-delays-decision-on-mandatory/