In a unanimous 8-0 vote, the City Council tonight voted to give restaurants the ability to allow pet dogs to accompany their owners dining on restaurant outdoor patios.
According to a press release from Councilmember Robert Garcia’s office, said councilmember along with Vice-Mayor Suja Lowenthal and Councilmember Gary DeLong introduced legislation to give restaurants the ability to allow pet dogs to accompany their owners dining on restaurant outdoor patios.
Currently, dogs other than service animals are legally prohibited from entering eating establishments in Long Beach, including outdoor restaurant patios. The new decision leaves it up to individual businesses to allow dogs on their outdoor patios.
In December 2011, Los Angeles County approved a policy to allow pet dogs to dine with their owners on restaurant patios. The County of Los Angeles Environmental Health Department assessed the risk factors involved in the allowance of pet dogs in outdoor dining areas and after an extensive review of supporting data they made changes to allow pet dogs on outdoor patios. Given that Long Beach has its own health department, the city must has to adpot any health policy changes independently of the County’s own decisions; the legislation passed is an example.
The Council motions to direct the City Manager to “work with the Health Department to craft a policy that gives restaurant owners the flexibility to allow pet dogs on outdoor restaurant patios and return back to Council in 90 days with the proposed new policy.”