Outdoor dogs protected in S.F.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

San Franciscans who keep their dogs outdoors now must abide by new standards for providing food, shelter and water for their pets.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the new law Tuesday. It was written by the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare and sponsored by Supervisor Bevan Dufty. It passed on a 9-2 vote, with Supervisors Michela Alioto-Pier and board President Aaron Peskin dissenting.

The law was necessary, Dufty said, to give animal control officers the ability to crack down on cases of abuse and neglect in which the pet owners provide marginal care for their dogs.

Among the new requirements: Dog houses must have floors raised above the ground, water must be changed once a day and provided in a nontipping bowl, and food must be palatable and nutritious. Tethering is discouraged.

In other board action, Peskin, who was elected president Saturday, introduced a procedural change whereby board committees would have greater power to keep proposed ordinances from reaching the full board.

Now, any member of the board can call an item from a committee to be heard by the full board. Under the new scheme, six members of the full board would have to agree to pull an item from a committee.

"We want to get rid of the ability of one person to subvert the will of the committee," said an aide to Peskin. "If the committee thinks it's a bad policy, it should be able to keep it from going to the full board."

However, some view it as a power play on Peskin's part, since he will be the one appointing supervisors to committees and deciding which committees hear which issues.

Also Tuesday, the board shot down a plan to give tax relief to the owners of the old Chronicle Building at 690 Market St. The building no longer houses The Chronicle.

Peskin had pushed for the owners to qualify for a historical property agreement with the city, which would bring with it substantial tax breaks. But that was before the owners gutted the building and, therefore, the bulk of its historical significance.

The agreement could have cost the city $5 million in lost property tax over the course of the 10-year contract.

"I frankly think I have made a mistake in bringing this legislation forward," Peskin said, urging his colleagues to vote against it. All complied, except Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Gerardo Sandoval.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Chris Daly announced that he wanted his colleagues and Mayor Gavin Newsom to agree to a plan to provide $1 million in disaster relief efforts for southern Asia and possibly East Africa, which were devastated by the recent tsunami. The money would come from the city's general reserve fund, at the same time city officials face an estimated $97 million budget shortfall.

Even if the board approves it, Daly's plan is likely to be stalled by the mayor.

Newsom said Tuesday that, while he appreciates the intent of Daly's proposal, the city has its own pressing needs and most likely won't have extra cash to send overseas. "We can't spend money we don't have," he said.

Chronicle reporter Rachel Gordon contributed to this story.