State Assemblyman Lloyd Levine is not a vegetarian, is allergic to cats and doesn't own a dog. (He does, however, admit to a "family of dust bunnies" under his bed.)
This year, the only legislation that has come close to making him famous -- both "Good Morning, America" and "The Colbert Report" took notice -- is not about protecting animals. It's about banning the sale of incandescent lightbulbs. (Levine dubbed it the "How Many Legislators Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb Act.")
Yet the 37-year-old Democrat from Van Nuys has become something of an elephant point man in the California Legislature.
Last year, he introduced a bill that would have mandated a minimum of five acres of outdoor space for zoo elephants, a requirement that no zoo in the state except Oakland's had met or had plans to meet. Even the Los Angeles Zoo's sweeping $39-million planned pachyderm exhibit, now under construction, does not offer that much enclosure space. The bill never made it out of the appropriations committee.
This year, Levine has retooled his proposal. Instead of mandatory space requirements, zoos must offer enrichment activities and see that their elephants, creatures known to roam miles in the wild, walk an average of five miles a day. The bill, which Levine introduced Feb. 22, also outlaws the use of the bull hook and other instruments.
"I've said this about elephants repeatedly -- nobody has an inherent right to see an elephant in the zoo. Nobody has an inherent right to see any animal in the zoo," said Levine, who is wading into the national controversy over whether zoos are humanely keeping elephants. "It's a privilege, and with the privilege of seeing an animal in the zoo comes the responsibility of providing it care that's appropriate."
There's more animal welfare on Levine's agenda. On Feb. 23 he introduced a bill -- co-authored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) and backed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- that has the potential to affect every dog and cat owner in California. In an effort to stem the euthanasia of hundreds of thousands of unwanted shelter animals -- many the offspring of unaltered pets -- the measure would make neutering and spaying of pets in the state mandatory. (Certain owners can apply for exemptions.)
Why did the chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce become such an animal advocate?
