Former shelter pets Lennon and Freeda were rescued and adopted from the Baldwin Hills and Castaic shelters, respectively, and are loving life in Santa Clarita.
The California Animal Welfare Association announced Monday the launch of the state’s first Certified Animal Control Officer program along with the inaugural group of certified officers.
This program promotes and ensures a high level of professionalism in animal care and control by setting standards, minimum requirements, and ongoing educational requirements for Animal Control Officers. This will also help local agencies identify, select, and train qualified officers to enforce animal welfare laws.
Animal Control Officers serve a vital function for their communities in protecting animals, promoting public safety, investigating complaints of animal cruelty, and even responding to disasters. As fires rage throughout California, hundreds of officers are facilitating animal evacuations, rescuing animals from burn areas and caring for those left behind in evacuation zones.
“We are immensely proud of the important work carried out by our animal control officers and are pleased to recognize their training and professionalism through this new certification program,” explains Jill Tucker, CEO of CalAnimals. “When you see an ACO wearing a CACO lapel pin, you’ll know the officer is a trained professional.”
“The implementation of this new voluntary certification program is a wonderful step forward for California’s animal control officers and our whole industry,” said Marcia Mayeda, director of Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and recently elected CalAnimals’ president.
“We are thrilled with the wonderful initial response and interest in accreditation,” reports Jan Glick, Program Manager at CalAnimals, “This high level of enthusiasm is a testament to the pride and value the officers invest in their chosen profession.”
To view CalAnimals’ current list of Certified Animal Control Officers, please visit https://www.calanimals.org/registry-ca-certified-aco.
Information about Animal Control Officers, pursuing a career in animal services, training opportunities, and how to become certified can be found on the CalAnimals website under the “officers” tab.
Interested in learning more about the California Animal Welfare Association? Visit www.calanimals.org.
Los Angeles County Director of Animal Care and Control Marcia Mayeda has been elected to serve as the president of the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals).
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control has announce the launch of a new and improved process to report illegal animal breeding that will include a tipline and online form.
The Soroptimist International of Greater Santa Clarita Valley 16th Annual Wine Affair: Wine, Beer and Cheer Big Hat Bash will be held Sunday, April 6 on Main Street in Old Town Newhall from noon to 5 p.m.
The city of Santa Clarita's art exhibition, "Saddle Up Santa Clarita" will run through Wednesday, May 14 at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Valencia, CA 91355.
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced that 10 high school seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The Master's University Theater Arts presents 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde Fridays and Saturdays, March 21-29 at The Master's University, Music Recital Hall at 24736 Quigley Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Beginning Monday, March 17, at 6 a.m., Jet will be hosting “Jet into Work,” on 88.5-FM, The SoCal Sound which will lend a fun and upbeat start to listeners’ mornings.
Safely dispose of household hazardous waste and electronic waste for free 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5 at the College of the Canyons Valencia Campus, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
The Music Center has announced 113 of Southern California’s most talented high school students have advanced in The Music Center’s 37th Annual Spotlight program, which includes three students from the Santa Clarita Valley.
The track and field teams at The Master's University began their 2025 outdoor campaign at the Occidental Spring Break Classic on Saturday, March 8. Multiple qualifiers were added and a school record fell in the men's 4x100m relay.
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo has announced the introduction of the Roads to Resilience Act, AB 1132, a piece of legislation designed to prioritize the needs of communities disproportionately impacted by climate disasters.
Opera America, a nonprofit that supports opera in the United States, recently announced the 2025 recipients of two of its prestigious distinctions: the 2025 Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize and the Discovery Grants from its Opera Grants for Women Composers program.
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has launched a new campaign to increase awareness of the Department’s Alternative Crisis Response Program and to foster trust in the program’s Field Intervention Teams which serve as the county’s first responders for mental health crisis support.
The Los Angeles County Library is hosting a series of virtual programs from March 13 through June 13, with the next occurring on Thursday, March 13 at 5 p.m.
The 47th Annual St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church Lenten Fish Fry opened for the season on Friday, March 7, and sold out within hours. It will continue every Friday through April 11.
California State Department of Education State Superintendent Tony Thurmond is sponsoring legislation, Senate Bill 502, to help local educational agencies across California address the housing affordability crisis by providing critical funding to support the development of housing for educators and school employees.
The Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation unanimously passed Sen. Suzette Valladares’ (R-Santa Clarita) Senate Bill 23 – the “Home for Heroes Act” – from committee on a 5-0, bipartisan vote of approval.
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency will hold a special board meeting on Tuesday, March 18 starting at 5 p.m. followed by the regular board meeting at 6 p.m.
As another atmospheric river bears down on Los Angeles County, the Departments of Public Health and Beaches and Harbors are reminding potential beachgoers to avoid ocean water and wildfire debris.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has been notified of the first case of measles diagnosed in 2025 in a Los Angeles County resident that recently traveled through Los Angeles International Airport.
The hilarious and heartfelt production, "A Couple of Blaguards", is coming to The MAIN from Friday, March 14, to Sunday, March 23, just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day.
1928 - St. Francis Dam collapses at 11:57:30 PM, killing an estimated 411 people from Saugus to the sea. America's deadliest civil engineering failure of the 20th Century [stories & photos]
Former shelter pets Lennon and Freeda were rescued and adopted from the Baldwin Hills and Castaic shelters, respectively, and are loving life in Santa Clarita. 
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