City OKs Free Spaying, Neutering Program

Thousands of low-income pet owners will receive coupons for free spaying and neutering, part of a new animal-population control pilot program approved by the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday.

The action was a rejection of a recommendation from the Animal Regulation Commission that the city require checks on income levels to ensure vouchers go to needy people.

Dan C. Knapp, commission general manager, told the council he did not wholeheartedly back the income check, calling it a potential deterrent because many people don’t want to reveal their income. Knapp said the commission recommended the checks only after the council had asked for tighter procedures.

“We were responding to a council request,’ Knapp said. He said there is no data to show whether the vouchers were being misused.

Responding to Knapp, the council voted to shelve the proposed income check and back the test program, which will provide 4,000 vouchers for low-income residents. The vouchers will be good for free spay and neuter services performed by a city-approved list of veterinarians.

City workers and an informal network of mostly volunteer animal lovers will rely on the honor system to determine need and distribute the vouchers, according to Knapp.

The pilot program will run three months, Knapp said, and will also include the distribution of 10,000 vouchers, which will provide middle-income residents with partial subsidies for spay and neutering of their pets. Knapp will report back to the council in October on the effectiveness of the program.

The city began a partial subsidy program in 1992 and last year provided 15,000 vouchers that paid for about half the cost.

“We were all really concerned that the council was going to go for the income qualifications,” said Michael Bell, an animal-rights supporter from Encino. “But the council came down on the side of the animals today.”