City Rejects Ban on Puppy Sales

On a 4-1 vote, the San Clemente City Council bucks a trend designed to halt the alleged abuse of dogs and cats by retail pet shops.

A proposal to ban pet shops from selling dogs or cats in San Clemente was shot down Tuesday night by the City Council.

On a 4-1 vote, with Councilwoman Lori Donchak dissenting, the council bucked a trend among some cities -- including Dana Point -- to outlaw the retail sale of puppies and kittens.

The measure would "prevent puppy farms and the abuse of dogs and cats, [but] existing breeders and shelters would continue to function," City Attorney George Scarborough said.

But Mayor Jim Evert countered: "I don't see a problem preventing puppy mills, but if every city in California did this, the only place you could get a dog would be through a breeder."

In practical terms, the proposal would have had no immediate effect because San Clemente doesn't have any pet shops that sell dogs or cats.

Scarborough later suggested rewriting the proposal.

In other council action, Evert declared May as "Water Awareness Month" and urged San Clemente residents to conserve water. Officials also noted that a rates is likely by 2014.

Council also declared April as DMV/Donate Life California Month to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation. Supporters of the San Clemente Be a Hero, Become a Donor organization were on hand.

Read the full article at: https://patch.com/california/sanclemente/water-prices-set-to-increase-in-near-future