FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — With animal shelters overcrowded and pet owners struggling to find affordable veterinary care, a new bill introduced in Sacramento aims to expand access to spay and neuter services across California, including in rural areas where help can be hours away.

Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, D-Merced, introduced AB 2010, legislation designed to increase access to high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter services for California pet owners and shelters. The bill would also allow the use of Mobile Animal Sterilization Hospital clinics, known as MASH clinics, which can bring traveling spay and neuter operations into underserved and rural communities by setting up in community buildings.

Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, D-Merced, introduced AB 2010, legislation designed to increase access to high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter services for California pet owners and shelters. (FOX26)

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February is National Spay and Neuter Awareness Month, a campaign focused on reducing pet overpopulation and shelter overcrowding by encouraging the sterilization of cats and dogs before spring.

Supporters of the bill point to rising costs and a veterinary workforce shortage that have left California veterinarians unable to perform enough spay and neuter surgeries, contributing to what they describe as a growing pet overpopulation crisis. They also say that while veterinary techniques have advanced, current California law limits the use of some procedures.

“California’s pet overpopulation crisis is out of control,” Soria said. “The crisis is even worse in rural regions throughout the Central Valley, where access to spay and neuter services may be hours away, and unaffordable for many communities. For too long, veterinary clinics have been inundated with high demand for spay and neuter services. AB 2010 provides a solution that will address this crisis.”

The bill would remove what supporters call unnecessary barriers while adopting more efficient spay and neuter practices.

AB 2010 would specify that veterinary premises that primarily perform high-quality, high-volume services do not require a dedicated surgical suite for those services, while still maintaining the applicability of all other health and safety standards.

“Lack of access to affordable veterinary care is one of the top reasons pet owners are forced to make the heartbreaking decision to surrender their beloved pets,” said Brittany Benesi, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Senior Director of State Legislation (Western Division). “We are grateful to Assemblywoman Soria for introducing (2010) during Spay Neuter Awareness Month to remove regulatory barriers and make high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services more accessible to the pets who need it most.”

Backers say MASH clinics could help increase the number of sterilization surgeries statewide and reduce the number of animals entering shelters.

“MASH clinics will significantly increase the number of sterilization surgeries that can be done in every part of the state, allowing for more animals to be adopted from shelters, reducing euthanasia and preventing unwanted births,” said San Francisco SPCA CEO Dr. Jennifer Scarlett. “With California experiencing an access-to-veterinary-care crisis, we have to think innovatively about how we can most effectively and efficiently reduce the overpopulation problem. AB 2010 does exactly that, and we want to thank Assemblywoman Soria for championing this legislation.”

Supporters of AB 2010 also cite the number of animals euthanized each year because shelters lack space. Every year, tens of thousands of healthy cats and dogs are euthanized primarily because there are simply too many for the state’s shelters to hold.

“California is facing a growing animal welfare crisis, and we need solutions grounded in science,” said Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society. “Mobile, high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter clinics have a proven track record of safely serving far more animals than traditional models, especially in communities that lack access to care. Allowing MASH units to operate will prevent thousands of animals from entering shelters, reduce strain on families and animal services, and save lives. Assemblywoman Soria’s AB 2010 is smart, humane policy, and it meets the scale of the challenge before us.”