City Council Conducts First Reading on Ordinance to Establish Hearing Officer for Dog Hearings

The City Council on Monday conducted the first reading of an ordinance that will replace the three-member panel and Commission appeal process with a hearing officer to decide whether a dog is vicious, potentially dangerous, or a public nuisance dog.

According to a City staff report, a review of adjudication procedures for animal matters in use by eight other cities indicates the current process used by the City of Pasadena is an outlier.

“Seven of the eight cities reviewed use a hearing officer model, which offers several benefits including enabling experienced hearing officers to efficiently satisfy due process requirements while protecting the public’s health and safety,” according to the staff report.

The City’s Public Health Department will implement the ordinance which will cost about $10,000 annually.

“It is declared that potentially dangerous and vicious dogs have become a serious and widespread threat to the safety and welfare of community members who are persons living in, working in, or visiting Pasadena, in that potentially dangerous and vicious dogs throughout the city have in recent years assaulted without provocation and seriously injured individuals, including children, and have killed numerous dogs,” the ordinance reads. “The number and severity of these attacks are attributable to the failure of owners to confine and properly control vicious dogs and potentially dangerous dogs.”