Thanks to you, the city of Alameda is one step closer to banning animal experiments on city property! On Jan. 16, thanks to the Physicians Committee and our supporters, the city council voted to direct their staff to go a step further and “draft an ordinance prohibiting animal testing and experimentation on property owned or controlled by the city of Alameda.” There is still more work to do in Alameda, but this is progress!

It all started in October. At the time, the council was considering awarding a lease on public property to Science Corp., a medical device company run by a co-founder of Elon Musk’s notorious Neuralink that planned to experiment on rabbits and monkeys. The Physicians Committee worked with local residents and our dedicated members to voice concern and outrage, and the council rejected the contract!

That inspired Councilmembers Trish Herrera Spencer and Malia Vella to go one step further and ban any animal experiments on public property in Alameda. Over the last two months, as the vote for the proposed ban was pushed back several times, hundreds of local residents and Physicians Committee supporters emailed the council in support. And last week, the council approved it.

Now, there is still work to do! Once the ordinance is drafted, we’ll need your help to support it—through testimony before the council (in-person or via Zoom or phone) and emails to the elected officials. We’ll let you know when the time comes.

Very truly,

Ryan Merkley
Director of Research Advocacy
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine