Officials in Laguna Beach say they want to make sure city rules on nuisance dog barking are enforceable and have set new specifics on what is excessive, while also looking at other animal safety-related issues.
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the City Council voted unanimously to streamline parts of the municipal code for how violations can be measured and result in warnings or citations if rules are broken. In the past, citations and fines have been issued, but the way in which they were applied lacked specificity and was undefined and subjective, officials said.
“It was based on how many people were complaining or willing to appear before a hearing officer to testify and provide evidence that a dog, at a certain location, is a nuisance,” said Jim Beres, a Laguna Beach Police Department administrator who oversees the city’s animal control and shelter services. “That creates a different standard because what constitutes a nuisance in North Laguna might be different than in South Laguna. That’s what some people we’ve interacted with in the past have had some issue with.”
“It’s like having a speed limit with no defined speed limit,” he added.
Under the new ordinance, which goes into effect in 30 days, a nuisance report can be made if a dog barks non-stop for 30 minutes or if it barks intermittently for 60 minutes over a 24 hour period.
The ordinance change also addresses the definition of what constitutes a “dangerous and vicious dog” and adds rules making it illegal to tie a dog to a bicycle, e-bike or other moving vehicle for a “walk” when it “endangers the health and well being of the animal or the public.”
The council asked staffers for a review after six months.
“We’re trying to cure a deficit in our existing ordinance that was vague and maybe unenforceable,” said Mayor Bob Whalen.
Beres said he and his staff have been working on the ordinance for a year and used Newport Beach, Irvine, Dana Point and San Clemente as…
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