Pet Lovers License Plate Advocates Win a Reprieve

Gov. Jerry Brown gave spay and neuter advocates an extra year to get 7,500 Californians to buy a “Pet Lover’s” license plate.

The Democratic governor signed legislation April 26 giving Social Compassion in Legislation, a non-profit trying to reduce pet overpopulation, more to reach the 7,500 minimum number of orders before the Department of Motor Vehicles will being stamping what it calls “special interest” license plates.

”This revenue would be very meaningful to local spay and neuter clinics,” said Carol Chamberlain, a spokeswoman for Assemblyman José Solorio, a Santa Ana Democrat, who carried the legislation, AB 610.

“Think of how many litters an animal has in a lifetime. This would literally be preventing hundreds of thousands of unwanted pregnancies.”

Before making a specialized license plate, the DMV must receive at least 7,500 paid applications.

Social Compassion in Legislation has approximately 4,500.

Groups that want a specialized license plate have two years to amass the needed applications.

Social Compassion in Legislation’s time was running out. Hence, Solorio’s bill. 

A state agency must sponsor the plate. In this case, it’s the Veterinary Medical Board.

If the needed applications are obtained – at Petco has agreed to put fliers at its checkout stands – the board would create regulations and Social Compassion in Legislation would dole out annual revenues to local spay and neuter clinics accordingly.

Specialty plates cost $50 initially and $40 annually to renew.

The state already has plates that benefit numerous groups including the Arts Council, the Olympic Training Center, veterans groups, kids, firefighters, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, environmental programs and scholarships for children of Californians who died on September 11, 2001.

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