Second Member Quits Animal Regulation Panel

The second person in as many weeks resigned Monday from the Los Angeles Animal Regulation Commission, the controversial panel that has been under fire from animal rights activists over the large number of dogs and cats killed each year.

Gini Barrett said she is quitting the commission to devote more time to her full-time job as western regional director of the American Humane Assn.

“This is a good time to leave,” Barrett said. “We’ve accomplished a lot in the last six years, and the city has finally committed to rebuilding the department. There is money in the budget.”

Barrett, a commissioner since 1993, has criticized what she called underfunding of the agency in the past.

Barrett pointed out that the agency is now getting more funding. In this year’s operating budget, the mayor boosted spending by 26% to $10.3 million, increasing the staff by 49 positions to 231 workers.

Barrett said that was a good start but, “It’s going to take a number of years to clean up 15 years of neglect.”

Barrett said a larger staff might be able to cut the number of unclaimed stray cats and dogs killed each year from 55,000 to 40,000.

Commission President Steven Afriat said he will resign in September after heading the City Council’s unsuccessful campaign against the new City Charter, which the mayor supported. The new charter calls for changing the commission from a decision-making body to an advisory panel.

Two months ago, Riordan appointed his daughter, Kathleen, to the commission.