ANIMAL WATCH – The City of Los Angeles is on the verge of adopting a plan to help save the lives of millions of dogs and cats in Vietnam. The plan, called the SISTER CITY/STATE PROJECT TO END DOG AND CAT MEAT IN VIETNAM, was first publicly proposed in CityWatchLA on September 30, 2024, in an article entitled Five Million Dogs and Cats Desperately Need Saving in Vietnam. This project will save the lives of millions of dogs and cats.
The Tarzana Neighborhood Council (TNC) passed a Resolution and Community Impact Statement in support of the project:
Whereas, since 2019, it has been the official position of the City of Los Angeles to oppose dog meat, including specifically in the country of Vietnam (Council File: 19-0002-S101) , and
Whereas, on September 10, 2023, President Biden and the leader of Vietnam entered into the Joint Leaders’ Statement: Elevating United States-Vietnam Relations To A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and
Whereas, the Joint Leaders’ Statement encourages states and cities in the United States and Vietnam to enter into sister city/state relationships, and
Whereas, since it is the official position of Los Angeles to oppose dog meat in Vietnam, the city that Los Angeles enters into a sister city relationship with should ban dog and cat meat. The Sister City/State Project to End Dog and Cat Meat in Vietnam will offer a city or province in Vietnam a sister city/sister state relationship with Los Angeles which would be conditioned on the Vietnam city or province banning dog and cat meat.
Therefore, the TNC Board adopts the TNC Animal Welfare Committee’s position as follows: Resolved: The Tarzana Neighborhood Council supports the Sister City/State Project to end Dog and Cat Meat in Vietnam and requests the City Council to pass a resolution to form a Sister City relationship with a city or province in Vietnam with the condition that the Vietnamese city or province ban dog and cat meat. …
The Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Sister City/State Project to End Dog and Cat Meat in Vietnam.
The Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC), consisting of representatives of Neighborhood Councils in the San Fernando Valley, supports the SISTER CITY/STATE PROJECT TO END DOG AND CAT MEAT IN VIETNAM, as set forth in this CityWatch Article.
VANC calls upon City Councilmembers, the Mayor, Members of the State Assembly, and State Senators in Los Angeles and California to sponsor and support a resolution adopting the SISTER CITY/STATE PROJECT TO END DOG AND CAT MEAT IN VIETNAM, as set forth in the above referenced City Watch article. We urge the City and State to work with international organizations working to end dog and cat meat in Vietnam, including In Defense of Animals, Animals Asia, Four Paws International, Humane Society International, and others. Those persons presenting the Sister City/State proposal to a city or province in Vietnam may use their judgement regarding how to frame the proposal in a diplomatic manner, so long as the final outcome of the process is consistent with current City policies regarding international affairs and leads to the banning or phase out of the dog and cat meat trade in the Vietnamese city or province.
According to John Popoch, Deputy Chief of Staff for City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, a Resolution and Motion to implement the Sister City/State Project to End Dog and Cat Meat in Vietnam will be introduced in the City Council on January 7, 2025, as soon as the Council returns from its holiday recess.
More than 8,000 people have already signed a petition from the organization In Defense of Animals supporting the Sister City/State Project to End Dog and Cat Meat in Vietnam. The petition is entitled Los Angeles & California Must Help End the Brutal Killing of Millions of Dogs & Cats in Vietnam. If you haven’t already signed the petition, you may access it and sign it here.
As set forth in the September 30, 2024 CityWatchLA article, this project is a win/win/win/win proposal. It fulfills the President’s goal of closer relations between the United States and Vietnam. It implements the official policy of the City of Los Angeles, set forth in City Council File 19-0002-S101, to support legislation and/or administrative action to request the governments of China, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia, and Indonesia to ban the sale of dog meat and enforce their animal cruelty laws. It will not cost the City of Los Angeles a penny. In fact, it will be economically beneficial for the City to enter into a sister city relationship with Hanoi, resulting in increased business and trade opportunities, increased travel and tourism, increased educational and cultural exchanges, increased cooperation and investments in science, technology, agriculture, and energy, and many other benefits for both cities.
Most importantly, this project will help end the horrible abuse and deaths of dogs and cats in the dog meat trade in Vietnam.
(Jeffrey Mausner (www.mausnerlaw.com/) is on the Executive Committee of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) where he serves as the Liaison to the Los Angeles Animal Services Department; he is 2nd Vice President of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and Chair of its Animal Welfare Committee. He also volunteers at the West Valley Animal Shelter. A retired attorney, law professor, and former U.S. Justice Department Federal Prosecutor, Jeff has received numerous awards, including the 2023 Guardian of the Animals Award and a 2024 Special Commendation from the California Legislature. He co-founded the Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition. This article is written in his private individual capacity, not on behalf of the Animal Services Department.)
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