The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance to allow animal rescue and adoption centers to operate in commercial areas.
Animal rescue operations had been restricted to industrial zones.
“We need to do everything in our power to make sure every rescue animal finds their forever home, and with the adoption of this ordinance we are doing just that,” Councilman Bob Blumenfield said. “Together we are bringing animal rescues out from the shadows and taking Los Angeles one step closer to a no-kill future.”
In 2012, the city banned stores from selling commercially bred animals in commercial zones but allowed those stores to offer adoptable animals that came from licensed rescue shelters.
A lawsuit brought in Los Angeles Superior Court prevented the city from making such a distinction and effectively forced shelters and rescues to operate only in industrial zones, Blumenfield said.
A few years ago, an animal rescue facility in Woodland Hills was threatened with closure unless the operators were able to get a variance, the councilman said. He said he helped them stay in business but didn’t want other animal shelter operators to experience the same lengthy process.
The ordinance also seeks to also ease the burden on the city’s Department of Animal Services and ultimately save taxpayer dollars. Additionally, the measure contains certain protections for neighboring businesses and homeowners to control odor, noise control, hygiene and overall welfare standards of animal rescue operations.
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8291208 https://ift.tt/2pmzwPK
No comments:
Post a Comment