Santa Monica may be a dog-friendly city, but they aren’t allowed everywhere unless they provide a vital service, city officials said.
The consumer affairs unit of the city attorney’s office wants local businesses to know that dogs that are service animals are allowed to be in public places and local businesses, according to federal law.
After the consumer affairs unit received numerous inquiries from local businesses, as well as complaints from residents and visitors, officials launched an educational program to inform people with disabilities of their rights.
A letter outlining legal requirements of a business to allow service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been distributed throughout Santa Monica. Many local businesses do not have current, reliable information about their legal rights and responsibilities regarding service animals, city officials said.
Service animals include seeing-eye dogs, also commonly referred to as guide dogs, as well as signal dogs and other service animals. The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities; it also requires that businesses, as well as governments and non-profit organizations, make accommodations to allow people with disabilities to participate in everyday activities such as shopping and accessing services. The ADA requires that all businesses that provide goods or services to the public allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go.
If business owners or people with disabilities have more questions about the law, they should call the U.S. Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1- 800-541-0301 (voice) or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD), or visit the ADA Business Connection at www.ada.gov.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 23, 2003. Read the original PDF.