WHEREAS, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is celebrating its 150th anniversary on April 10, 2016, and it is appropriate at this time to highlight its many achievements as North America’s first humane society and underscore the positive impact it has made throughout the State of California and across the nation; and

WHEREAS, The ASPCA was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines and class boundaries; and

WHEREAS, Motivated to act after witnessing the regular beating, abuse, and overworking of cart horses, Henry Bergh made a commanding moral and legal case to protect animals, and in so doing, persuaded prominent leaders of the time, including members of the Rockefeller family, to support him in enacting the first anti-cruelty law in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Henry Bergh personally fought for animal welfare on New York City streets, as well as in the courtroom, regularly inspecting slaughter houses, working with police to close down dog fighting pits, lecturing at schools, and operating the nation’s first ambulance for overworked horses that frequently collapsed from dehydration and exhaustion; and

WHEREAS, Henry Bergh’s outspoken crusade on behalf of animals inspired those activists seeking to protect abused children to establish the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the first child protective agency in the world, for which he served as a founding vice president; and

WHEREAS, By 1888, the year Henry Bergh died, 37 of the country’s then 38 states had passed animal anti-cruelty laws, and the ASPCA today continues his legacy by working to enhance laws to protect animals by advocating nationally for the strongest possible protections for animals; helping animals in crisis by responding to requests for assistance by law enforcement and emergency response agencies around the country; and, since 2008, providing $93 million in grants to various partners nationwide, including over $12.3 million to organizations throughout California in support of programs in line with its mission; and

WHEREAS, Since its founding, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has evolved into a dynamic voice for improving the quality of life for animals throughout the United States; now, therefore, be it