San Diego Humane Society Leads Legislative Efforts to Expand Veterinary Access and End the Puppy Mill Pipeline in California
San Diego Humane Society (SDHS), in partnership with leading national animal welfare organizations, is proud to sponsor five key bills aimed at improving animal welfare in California. On April 29, 2025, SDHS leadership will travel to Sacramento for Animal Advocacy Day to urge lawmakers to support these critical measures. If enacted, these laws will expand access to veterinary care and shut down harmful puppy mill pipelines, both of which significantly impact shelter capacity and animal well-being.
Animal Advocacy Day, co-hosted by San Diego Humane Society, San Francisco SPCA, Valley Humane Society, CalAnimals, ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, Humane World for Animals, and Michelson Center for Public Policy, serves as a platform to ensure legislators hear the collective voice of animal welfare advocates.
Expanding Access to Veterinary Care
With a critical shortage of veterinary professionals in California, SDHS is championing legislation in partnership with San Francisco SPCA and the California Veterinary Medical Association, that will enhance access to essential medical care for pets across the state. These bills will empower veterinary staff and increase available services for pet owners in need.
Veterinary Staff Duties (AB 516)
Authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose)
AB 516 clarifies that Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs) and veterinary assistants can perform any medical task that is not explicitly prohibited by law. By maximizing the skill set of veterinary staff, AB 516 enables veterinarians to operate more efficiently, allowing more animals to receive care.
Improving the Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (SB 602)
Authored by State Senator Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley)
SB 602 allows RVTs in designated animal shelters to conduct essential veterinary appointments — such as vaccinations and parasite control — without requiring a supervising veterinarian to be on-site. This measure will help bridge the care gap for vulnerable animals in shelters and underserved communities.
"AB 516 and SB 602 represent a transformative leap forward in ensuring that every animal in California receives the veterinary care they deserve," said Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of San Diego Humane Society. "By empowering veterinary professionals to provide critical medical services, these bills will reduce suffering, strengthen public health, and expand lifesaving care for the pets and families who need it most."
“California continues to deal with a dramatic shortage of veterinarians, so we need to find creative avenues for other animal welfare professionals to deliver critical services,” said State Senator Cortese. “We have seen time and again how RVTs can step up and handle important work, and these pieces of legislation will ultimately allow them to help increase vaccination rates and prevent diseases from spreading.”
“As current regulations stand, many RVTs are prevented from carrying out duties they are fully capable of overseeing, which ultimately prevents animals from receiving important care,” said State Assemblymember Kalra. “AB 516 will clarify that RVTs and veterinary assistants are able to perform any and all tasks not forbidden by law, freeing up veterinarians to focus their efforts on the most crucial, life-saving procedures facing animal hospitals.”
Shutting Down the Puppy Mill Pipeline
In response to a Los Angeles Times investigation exposing widespread fraud and abuse in California’s puppy market, SDHS is supporting legislation in partnership with the ASPCA to increase transparency and consumer protections while stopping unethical breeding practices.
Puppy Importation Transparency Act (SB 312)
Authored by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana)
SB 312 mandates that dog importers electronically submit health certificates to the California Department of Food & Agriculture within 10 days of shipment. These certificates will be made publicly available, ensuring that consumers and law enforcement agencies have access to crucial health and sourcing information.
Protecting Pets from Predatory Practices (AB 506)
Authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Oxnard)
AB 506 voids deceptive contracts between consumers and online pet brokers that require nonrefundable deposits or fail to disclose the animal’s original source before purchase. The bill also mandates that sellers return buyers' money within 30 days if a contract is deemed void.
Closing the “Pet Broker” Loophole (AB 519)
Authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto)
AB 519 bans pet brokering in California by defining brokers as any entity that profits from selling animals bred by another party. AB 519 ensures that third-party sellers can no longer exploit loopholes to profit off inhumane breeding operations.
"Consumers deserve transparency about the flood of puppies entering our state—this is not just about protecting people from unhealthy pets but about ending the cruel pipeline from puppy mills," said Dr. Weitzman. "These bills will close dangerous loopholes in California’s pet sales laws and help prevent animals from being exploited for profit."
“As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a rescue dog owner myself, I am appalled by what the Los Angeles Times has uncovered in its investigation into, and exposure of, extensive fraud and suffering in the puppy trade,” said State Senator Umberg. “Like many, I have been under the impression that advocacy and awareness of this issue had largely reduced or eliminated the puppy mill business in California. I’m proud to be authoring SB 312 as a part of this important package to protect consumers moving forward.”
“Choosing our fur-ever companions is a meaningful, life-changing process. Families are entitled to know where their new dog/cat comes from, and the conditions in which their pet grew up,” said State Assemblymember Bennett. “By requiring sellers to provide more information up front and prohibiting the use of non-refundable deposits as a “paywall,” Assembly Bill 506 will empower families in the adoption process.”
“I was shocked to learn that bad actors are getting around California's ban on puppy mills by claiming to be local breeders, when in reality they're buying abused and neglected puppies from cruel out-of-state breeding operations and selling them to unsuspecting pet parents," said State Assemblymember Berman. “As Chair of the Business and Professions Committee, every year I see advocates and animal lovers push for improvements to animal welfare in California. After reading the LA Times exposé, and as a dog dad myself, it was clear to me that we must do more to improve both animal welfare and consumer protection in our state. My bill will crack down on those that represent to be small, local home breeders, when they are actually importing puppies bred in puppy mills in states with inhumane animal welfare laws.”
Additional Bills Supported by SDHS:
Animals: Animal Shelters: Transparency (AB 631)
Authored by State Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-Palo Alto)
AB 631 will require shelters to report animal intake and outcome data, promoting transparency and informed decision-making regarding animal welfare policies.
The Cockfighting Cruelty Act (AB 928)
Authored by State Assemblymember Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rosa)
AB 928 will help law enforcement, including animal control agencies, combat the illegal trafficking of fighting birds to protect them from the extreme animal cruelty associated with cockfighting.
In 2024, the coalition of animal welfare organizations at Animal Advocacy Day rallied behind a series of bills that were passed by lawmakers and approved by Governor Gavin Newsom. Those new laws made veterinary telemedicine available to all Californians, improved pet health across the state, and created a program to increase the availability of lifesaving spay-neuter surgery.
Published: April 23, 2025
