PETITION TARGET: Los Angeles City Council Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
Los Angeles has an opportunity to help usher in an end to cruel, dangerous dog and cat slaughter in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Introduced by L.A. City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and seconded by City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, City Council File 25-0193 proposes that L.A. establish a sister city relationship with Hanoi on condition that Hanoi ban dog and cat meat.
After a brief holding period, this motion is now before the L.A. City Council Rules Committee and we need your help to get it over the finish line.
Jeffrey Mausner, co-founder of In Defense of Animal’s Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition and a former Federal Prosecutor for the U.S. Justice Department, came up with the concept for the motion – a powerful measure that would unite Hanoi and L.A. according to our shared values and save countless dogs’ and cats’ lives. It is supported by a number of Los Angeles’ Neighborhood Councils.
Lady Freethinker’s investigation of dog and cat meat markets in Hanoi revealed dogs grabbed by the neck with long metal tongs and bludgeoned over the head repeatedly with giant clubs. Dogs were butchered in front of each other, with meat processed on the cages of live dogs as blood dripped onto their faces. Meanwhile, cats in collars – likely stolen companion animals – huddled together in cages near signs advertising their meat.
Dogs and cats are deeply loving animals who crave companionship and do not deserve to endure such horrifying violence.
This cause is a popular one: Over 2,900 people have already sent public comments in support of the Sister City Proposal to End Dog and Cat Meat.
Dog and cat meat is not “culture.” In fact, polls indicate that most Vietnamese citizens support a ban on this cruel industry.
Negotiating a sister city arrangement between L.A. and Hanoi – provided that the latter bans dog and cat meat – would provide economic and cultural advantages to both cities while helping save animals from agonizing, needless death.
Please sign this petition to urge the Rules Committee to support this life-saving measure for dogs and cats and further the bond between two world-class cities. After signing, please send a polite email urging members of the Rules Committee to support the Sister City Proposal and help pave the way for an end to dog and cat meat in Hanoi. Please use the following email addresses:
- Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Chair: [email protected]
- Councilmember Nithya Raman, Vice Chair: [email protected]
- Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky: [email protected]
- Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez: [email protected]
- Councilmember John Lee: [email protected]
Feel free to cut and paste the script below and add on your own thoughts, remembering to be respectful in all communication for the greatest impact:
I support City Council File 25-0193, which references City Council File 19-0002-S101, to end the dog and cat meat trade in Hanoi, Vietnam. I am against the abuse and killing of dogs and cats. I want Los Angeles to do what it can to stop the practice. Please support City Council File 25-0193 and move forward on negotiating a sister city relationship with Hanoi that includes ending dog and cat meat.
Please cc Lady Freethinker on your email to Councilmembers, at [email protected], so we can keep track of how many emails are sent.
UPDATE (4/22/2026): Good news! Mayor Karen Bass confirmed that there is no official hold on City Council File 25-0193 and City Council is cleared to consider the Sister City designation.
UPDATE (10/29/2025): The city of Hanoi has introduced a pilot project to educate communities about how the dog and cat meat trade fuels the spread of rabies and to help families who rely on the trade transition to alternative livelihoods, according to Viet Nam News.
We will continue to monitor the situation and share any updates as they become available. — Lady Freethinker
