Animal Regulation Chief Steps Down

Gini Barrett, president of the Los Angeles Animal Regulation Commission, said Tuesday that she has stepped down from her post to head a task force aimed at reducing the population of unwanted pets in the city.

Barrett, a Sylmar resident and senior vice president of the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, said she will remain a member of the commission while she forms and leads the task force.

As president, she said she did not have time to concentrate on the problem. “I was stretched too thin,” she said.

Steve Afriat, a political consultant from Sherman Oaks, has replaced her as president of the mayor-appointed panel.

Barrett said she decided to target pet overpopulation because the problem, if not checked, is likely to result in more animals being euthanized and more people being attacked by stray or feral animals.

Last year, the city euthanized nearly 45,000 dogs and cats.

“The only answer is to reduce the river of animals that come into the city,” she said.

In a 15-page report on long-term goals for the Animal Regulation Department, Barrett said she has already recruited several volunteers from humane organizations to draft a city policy and blueprint on ways to reduce the population of unwanted pets.

One of her main goals will be to draft an ordinance that will increase the cost of licensing a pet that has not been spayed or neutered. The city currently charges $10 to license a dog, $30 if it is unaltered.

She said another step toward reducing the pet population was taken Monday, when the commission voted to negotiate a contract with a private firm to insert microchips in pets to identify their owners. The firm would offer the service at the shelters for a fee and pets that end up in the shelters will be scanned for the chips.

Among other ideas Barrett proposes is a 24-hour hotline to provide information on lost pets, designate beaches that allow dogs and expand shelters to provide more room for animals.