San Francisco Assemblyman Matt Haney joined Los Angeles animal welfare advocates, prosecutors, and lawmakers on Monday to push legislation aimed at reducing the time abused and neglected animals spend in shelters while criminal cases make their way through the courts.
Speaking at the North Central Animal Shelter in Los Angeles, Haney told reporters Assembly Bill 2344 would work toward eliminating a costly and harmful legal limbo that leaves animals confined in shelters for months or even years after being rescued from cruelty.
AB 2344, the Rehome Abused Animals Act, would allow animal control agencies and prosecutors to petition courts to transfer custody of animals when defendants fail to appear for 30 days, creating a pathway for animals to be adopted into safer, permanent homes before cases are resolved.
“Every single animal deserves to be supported, deserves to have a loving home, and should not be held in limbo, stuck in a cage, while a flawed court process plays out,” Haney told reporters.
Under current law, animals rescued during cruelty investigations are often kept in shelters until criminal proceedings are resolved. AB 2344 proponents say that it can lead to lengthy stays when defendants fail to appear in court or cases become bogged down by delays.
Haney said the current system not only harms animals but also strains already overcrowded shelters and burdens taxpayers.
“We are spending, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars a year to keep an animal in a shelter,” Haney said. “Many of those animals are being kept there simply because the law prevents us from adopting them out.”
These animals are victims, yet many remain stuck in legal limbo for months or even years while criminal cases slowly move through the courts, Ramirez said.
The legislation is cosponsored by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and Social Compassion in Legislation, an animal welfare advocacy organization.
Assistant District Attorney Maria Ramirez said abused animals will often remain confined for extended periods despite having been rescued from dangerous situations.
“These animals are victims, yet many remain stuck in legal limbo for months or even years while criminal cases slowly move through the courts,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez warned that prolonged confinement can have severe behavioral consequences for animals, citing conditions commonly referred to as “kennel neurosis” or “kennel crazy,” in which animals develop anxiety, aggression, repetitive behaviors, and other signs of psychological distress.
“The best treatment is to get these animals out of a kennel and into a safe, stable home where they can heal,” she said.
Los Angeles Assemblyman Mark Gonzalez, whose district includes the shelter, described the bill as a matter of care and duty.
“When that trust is broken, when an animal comes from an abusive home and has endured neglect, violence or unimaginable suffering, we have a responsibility to act and to act swiftly,” Gonzalez said.
Supporters also argued that the measure would help alleviate overcrowding in shelters. According to data cited during the event from the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, animals in cases where defendants failed to appear spent far longer in shelters, compared with cases that proceeded normally through the court system.
Judy Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation, said shelters across California are facing unprecedented overcrowding and resource shortages.
“Animals are sentient, living, feeling beings,” Mancuso said. “They are not pieces of property that should spend years sitting in a shelter while a case is pending, as if they’re evidence in a filing cabinet.”
AB 2344 passed the California Assembly unanimously, and now awaits consideration in the state Senate Public Safety Committee. It’s expected to be heard June 23. The original version of the bill would have required registration of those convicted of felony animal abuse, with information made available to animal shelters and rescue programs and the public, for ten years. Supporters voiced optimism that the narrowed-down measure will continue to receive bipartisan support as it advances in Sacramento.
