Author: Melanie Sadek
President & CEO, Valley Humane Society
What a year! As chair of the Legislative & Advocacy Committee for the California Animal Welfare Association, I’ve had a front-row seat to some incredible progress in Sacramento in 2025. California advanced the protection and humane treatment of animals—and improved transparency and accountability for those who care for them.
Here’s a quick overview of the bills that made a difference:
AB 478 (Zbur) – Protecting Pets in Emergencies
When disasters strike, we want to know our animals are safe. This bill ensures that cities and counties include pets in their emergency plans—creating systems for residents to report missing animals, and requiring shelters to hold evacuated pets under declared emergencies for 30 days before they can be adopted or transferred. It’s a compassionate, common-sense measure that helps reunite families and keeps everyone safe.
Breeder Accountability Package
Following last year’s Los Angeles Times exposé on the underground puppy trade, California lawmakers passed a series of bills to increase transparency and stop exploitation in the pet market.
- AB 506 (Bennett) Requires anyone selling a dog, cat, or rabbit to provide full transparency about where the animal was born, breeder licensing information, and complete veterinary records. Non-refundable deposits will also become illegal starting in 2026.
- AB 519 (Berman) Eliminates the “broker” loophole, shutting down middlemen who profit from selling animals bred by others. This will hopefully slow down puppymill production and provide more transparency for consumers who think they are buying from their local breeder.
- SB 312 (Umberg) Improves oversight of imported dogs by transferring health-certificate processing to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It also requires detailed documentation on each animal’s health, origin, and transport—and creates a searchable public database so consumers can see where imported dogs come from.
Together, these bills give California consumers the information they deserve and illuminate a system that has operated in the shadows for far too long.
AB 516 (Kalra) Registered Veterinary Technicians: Scope of Practice
This bill defines what Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs) and veterinary assistants can perform. Specifically, it authorizes RVTs—under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian—to perform dental procedures, including tooth extractions. This clarification resolves long-standing confusion about the roles of these essential team members and helps empower them to better support both veterinarians and clients in providing high-quality care.
AB 867 (Lee) – Ending Cat Declawing
After five failed attempts, California finally banned elective cat declawing. Only medically necessary procedures will be allowed. This long-overdue law ends a painful and unnecessary surgery that often leads to behavioral and physical complications.
SB 221 (Ochoa Bogh) – Protecting People and Pets from Stalkers
This bill expands stalking laws to include threats made against a person’s pet, service animal, or horse. Abusers often target animals to control or intimidate their victims—this legislation closes that loophole and strengthens protections for both humans and animals.
SB 602 (Cortese) – Expanding Access to Veterinary Care
Fixes a loophole in earlier law to allow RVT’s to run vaccine clinics at licensed animal shelters under indirect veterinary supervision. This helps nonprofit organizations and government shelters provide low-cost preventive care to more pets across California.
A Remarkable Year
From stronger consumer protections to increased access to veterinary care, 2025 proved that advocacy works. These victories show what is possible when legislators, animal-welfare professionals, and communities come together with a shared goal: to create a more compassionate California for animals—and for the people who love them.