Animals: animal shelters: transparency.

Assembly Member Lee's animal shelter transparency legislation would require California's public and private animal shelters to publish detailed quarterly statistics about their operations on their websites. The measure mandates that shelters post data about the number and types of animals they receive, the sources of animal intake, and the outcomes for animals in their care.

Under the proposed requirements, shelters must categorize their published statistics to show separate totals for dogs, cats, and other animals. The data must detail how many animals arrived as strays, owner surrenders, or transfers from other facilities. Outcome reporting would include the number of animals returned to owners, adopted, transferred to other organizations, euthanized, or deceased either in care or upon arrival. Shelters would need to maintain this information online for at least five years after posting.

For shelters operating under local government contracts, the bill encourages making the statistical data available in downloadable spreadsheet formats compatible with common software applications. The measure includes provisions for state reimbursement to local agencies if the Commission on State Mandates determines the new requirements impose state-mandated costs on local animal control facilities or shelters.