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Your Barking Dog Could Soon Earn You a $100 Citation
Photo by *Ann Gordon via Flickr
Los Angeles is pretty soft when it comes to animal enforcement. Got a neighbor with a barking dog that won't stop? Good luck getting that taken care of. But under a new directive from city council yesterday, that could change. City staff have been instructed to develop an administrative citation program that could give Animal Service officers the power to write citations. And with that power, the city stands the chance to bring in some dough.During the last fiscal year, $257,600 could have been made if 1,435 Notices to Comply for Distance and 1,141 Notices to Comply for Leash Law violations carried fines. "From a more aggressive perspective, if all 19,351 Notices to Comply issued in 2008-2009 for barking, cruelty, distance, leash law, and permits were translated to first-time administrative citations that were valid and collectible, revenue could be nearly $2 million annually," stated a city report (.pdf).
In other cities fines range from $100 to $300 for first time and recurrent offenses. Supporters of the move say the citations will cover the cost of enforcement.
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