September 19, 2005

City Councilmember
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Council member,  

I ask that you and the L.A. City Council support the Director of Animal Welfare (DAW) program and that you encourage each neighborhood council in your area to select a stakeholder to serve as the DAW. 

The DAW is a volunteer position. This individual acts as the "eyes and ears" for the animals in their area, reaching out to the community via the neighborhood council website, newsletters and meetings. The DAW can help with animal adoption events, spay/neuter, dog training and humane education. The DAWs can recruit volunteers to help at the public shelters or to become foster parents. The DAWs can help move L.A. shelters towards no-kill.

The DAWs for all areas come together at monthly meetings to discuss ideas and to relay information back to their neighborhood councils. Further information can be obtained at the website www.DAWprogram.org

Neighborhood councils are joining this program every month. The following councils have voted to support this program by appointing  DAWs for their areas:

Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council

Greater Valley Glen Council

North Hills West Neighborhood Council

North Hollywood Mid-Town Neighborhood Council

North Hollywood Northeast Neighborhood Council

Silverlake Neighborhood Council

Studio City Neighborhood Council

Valley Village Neighborhood Council

West Hills Neighborhood Council

We have 18 DAWs thus far. Some DAWs are outside of the city of L.A.; for example, the Pacific Palisades Community Council has appointed a DAW.

As you can see, there is tremendous enthusiasm for helping animals on a grassroots level. Please embrace the DAW program If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (818) 781-5280. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Laws, Ph.D.
Member of the Greater Valley Glen Council
Founder of the DAW program and the DAW for Greater Valley Glen
14320 Ventura Blvd., Suite 408
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 781-5280