The San Francisco SPCA is proud to sponsor and support key legislation that addresses some of the most pressing animal welfare issues in California: expanding the ability of pet owners and shelters to obtain vital veterinary care, improving outcomes for animals in shelters, combatting animal cruelty, and ending the deception and suffering that are integral to the sale of puppy-mill puppies to unsuspecting Californians.
By engaging with lawmakers, animal welfare leaders, and advocates from across the state, we’re working to pass laws that create lasting, systemic change for animals and the people who care for them.
Here’s a look at the legislation we’re championing in 2025:
- AB 516 and SB 602: The SF SPCA, the California Veterinary Medical Association, and the San Diego Humane Society are sponsoring these two critical bills to help address California’s veterinary care shortage. AB 516 and SB 602 will expand access to care—particularly for animals in shelters and under-resourced communities—by increasing the availability of veterinarians and ensuring veterinary teams can work more efficiently. These bills clarify the tasks that Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs) and veterinary assistants are allowed to perform, increasing capacity to serve more pets across the state.
- AB 631: This bill, supported by the SF SPCA, requires animal shelters to publicly share key data about animal intake, outcomes, and operations. By promoting transparency and accountability, AB 631 will help communities understand how their local shelters are performing and will encourage people wanting new pets to visit shelters to adopt their new animal family members.
- AB 928: This bill, supported by the SF SPCA, helps law enforcement, including animal control agencies, combat the illegal trafficking of fighting birds to protect them from the extreme animal cruelty associated with cockfighting.
- SB 312, AB 506, and AB 519: This group of bills, supported by the SF SPCA, works together to shut down the puppy mill pipeline into California. These bills increase oversight of dog imports, void deceptive sales agreements, and ban retail pet sales from brokers linked to puppy mills. They protect animals and consumers while curbing unethical breeding and sales practices.
These bills reflect our core commitment to animal welfare, public health, and community care. Together, they help address the statewide veterinary shortage, ensure greater transparency in shelters, encourage adoptions, have key anti-cruelty components, and protect people and pets from the harm caused by unethical breeding operations.
We’re grateful to the lawmakers and partners leading this critical work—and to our community of advocates standing with us to make California a better place for pets and their people. Learn more about how you can help by visiting our advocacy page.