Wednesday, August 3, 2005

By BILL KISLIUK
Register Managing Editor

Napa city and county officials Tuesday endorsed a statewide measure to allow local regulation of dangerous dog breeds.

The measure has attracted attention, and controversy, in the wake of recent pit bull attacks on people in Santa Rosa and San Francisco.

Napa City Councilman Mark van Gorder suggested Tuesday that he'd like to explore the idea of raising criminal fines for those whose dogs are involved in attacks, while the county Board of Supervisors is preparing for a hearing on dangerous dogs on Aug. 16.

In separate meetings, both bodies endorsed SB 861, sponsored by state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough. The bill would allow counties and cities to pass measures to address concerns about specific dog breeds, and compels authorities to gather data on dog attacks. The measure does not allow local governments to ban specific breeds.

State law currently prohibits any local laws that address specific breeds.

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, whose district includes Napa, asked the City Council and the board to offer symbolic support for Speier's bill.

At the City Council meeting, Napa resident Elizabeth Emmitt encouraged the council to back the bill and to go further with its own laws. She said she has had to protect her young child from a neighbor's pit bull on several recent occasions.

"I feel like someone is putting a loaded gun in the middle of the street, and just (leaving) it out there," said Emmitt. She said the city's current law, which gives the city the right to confine or destroy a dog found at an administrative hearing to be dangerous, only comes into effect after something bad has happened.

The law has not been put to use since it was passed.

No other member of the public addressed the council.

Van Gorder said that if SB 861 becomes law, the city should look into alternatives for regulating certain breeds. Options under consideration in other Bay Area locales include microchipping animals for swift identification and compelling owners of certain breeds to spay or neuter their animals quickly. Van Gorder mentioned that existing law calls for criminal fines "up to $1,000," but suggested the fine increase to between $1,000 and $5,000.

The City Council also passed a measure to raise its costs for animal control services from $150,000 a year to $165,000. Councilman Harry Martin inquired into how much manpower the county, which provides those services, puts into after-hours and weekend calls regarding animal control.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, county analyst Andrew Carey explained Speier's proposal and got a positive response from the board.

"There are some breeds that contribute much more to bites and injuries," said Luce. "This seems to be a soft way for government to have an impact in this area."

Register staff writer Jay Goetting contributed to this report.