Blumenfield leads effort to clean city of animal tested products while celebrating animal rights organization

LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield introduced a measure called “Cruelty-Free Los Angeles,” to ensure that the City of Los Angeles will only purchase supplies such as cleaning products and hand soaps that are free from animal testing. As part of the announcement, Blumenfield celebrated the animal rights nonprofit, Rescue + Freedom Project (R+FP), and was joined by middle school student animal advocates from R+FP Kids, and six beagles who were rescued from animal testing.

“Testing cleaning products on animals is not only based on flawed and arcane science, but it is simply despicable and disturbing that major companies in our country treat man’s best friend like a science experiment,” said Blumenfield. “We can do better and we must do better.”

R+FP, previously known as Beagle Freedom Project, is a U.S. based nonprofit founded in 2004 that saves animals all around the globe from laboratory experiments, hoarding cases, the meat trade, unique captivity and cruelty, and death row. R+FP Kids is a great initiative they run to help educate and empower the next generation of animal advocates.

Ella Warner, 13-year old President of R+FP Kids said, “Our main goal with R+FP Kids is to spread awareness. Our generation is the one that desperately needs to spread the word and teach the next generation about being cruelty-free and helping animals who do not have a voice.”

As part of the presentation, Blumenfield recognized the World Week for Animals in Labs (WWAIL). WWAIL brings advocates from around the world together to speak up on behalf of the millions of dogs, cats, monkeys, rats, mice, rabbits, pigs, horses and other animals who are confined to steel cages and experimented on in laboratories.

Blumenfield’s motion specifically requests the General Services Department (GSD), and any other City department that purchases office  and similar supplies, to purchase only “cruelty-free” office products and also requests that the City Attorney to report back on the most effective means of ensuring that the City discontinue the use of animal tested products.

Blumenfield has been an animal rights advocate throughout his career and has authored many pieces of humane legislation on both the state and local levels. Most recently, he introduced resolutions to the Council in support of the federal Humane Cosmetics Act (HR 2790) and the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act (SB 1249).

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