Pit Bull Laws

Fontana enacts new pit bull law - DailyBulletin.com

FONTANA - The City council, by a 5-0 vote, has passed an ordinance requiring all owners of pit bulls and pit bull mixed breed to spay or neuter their dog before it reaches the age of four months.

The ordinance mirrors a law San Bernardino County enacted several years ago and adopted by many area cities.

"We are one of the last cities in the area to adopt this," police Capt. Robert Ramsey said after Tuesday night's council meeting.

Pit bull is defined as any Stafforsdshire bull terrier, American pit bull terrier or American Staffordshire terrier.

Purebred pit bulls are exempted from the requirement if they are registered and the owner possesses such paperwork when requested by any Fontana Police Department employee.

The City Council also passed on second reading a resolution declaring its intent to participate in the state's "voluntary" redevelopment program.

The action was required under the state's legislative action allowing it to lift $1.7billion from redevelopment agencies this year and $400million in successive years.

In an interview, Mayor Acquanetta Warren said the city is hopeful that the state legislation allowing redevelopment agencies "to be robbed" will be struck down by the courts.

The League of California Cities and the California Redevelopment Association have filed a lawsuit challenging the new state RDA law.

City Manager Ken Hunt said Fontana's buy-in to continue its RDA program - the fourth largest in the state - is $32.5million.

City staff has "painfully" come up with the revenues to make that payment - due in January - feasible, Hunt said.

All of it will come from the city Redevelopment Agency, either from its general fund or from revenues pegged to the development of affordable housing.

That payment to the state severely limits Fontana's ability to assist developers with projects that would help them bring jobs into the city, Hunt said.

"I have had people coming in saying they wanted to do an affordable project and I have had to tell them no," Hunt said in an interview after the meeting. "It's just horrible."

A new park planned for the city has also been put on hold, he said.

"We either win in court or this is gone forever," Hunt said.

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