San Diego Humane Society waives licensing fees in June

San Diego Humane Society is waiving all fees, including late fees, for dog licenses throughout the month of June, 2021, during its A License to Love campaign. Dog owners who live within San Diego Humane Society’s jurisdiction can receive a free one-year license if completing the process before July 1. The promo code FREELICENSE will be required. The amnesty offer applies to first-time licenses and renewals, and all late fees (if applicable) will be waived.

A California-approved rabies vaccination is a prerequisite for licensing dogs, and it’s highly effective as an animal and public health measure. Rabies vaccinations are especially important in areas like San Diego County where the potential threat of exposure to rabies from wildlife is a significant concern. The primary rabies vaccination is good for one year. The second vaccination is given one year later. Subsequent (or booster) vaccinations are valid for one to three years, depending on the recommendation of your veterinary care provider.

Proof of alteration (i.e. spay/neuter) is not required, but will lower the cost of a dog’s licensing fee by 50% or more. Dogs adopted at San Diego Humane Society already come with a free one-year license.

Licensing can be completed online, in person or by mail with the promo code FREELICENSE. To complete the license process, or to access information and resources such as low-cost vaccine clinics and spay/neuter services, visit www.sdhumane.org/license.

Benefits of licensing:

Licensed pets are more likely to be reunited with their owners if they become lost.

A license provides proof of a pet’s rabies vaccination and of ownership.

Licensed dogs receive a Pet Hub (https://www.pethub.com/SanDiego/about) tag, which comes with a QR-code that can store phone numbers, medical information and a secondary emergency contact, like a veterinarian.

Dog’s with a valid license receive a free ride home by San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Officers if found stray — skipping a trip to the shelter and reducing reclaim fees.

The owner of every dog over the age of four months is required by law to ensure the pet is properly licensed and currently vaccinated against rabies. A license must be purchased within 30 days after reaching the age of four months, within 30 days of acquiring the dog, or within 30 days after entering the jurisdiction.

$200 million in tax credits available to CA families

While the tax filing deadline has passed, an estimated 500,000 working families in California are still eligible to apply for the $220 million in tax credits available to them from the State of California through the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) and Golden State Stimulus (GSS).

United Ways of California and local partners are helping to make sure families who are eligible receive as much as $4,200 from the two programs.

GSS is a one-time payment of $600 or $1,200 per tax return that is available to families who have an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) filer earning up to $75,000, while the CalEITC ranges from $243 to just over $3,000 and is available to families with incomes up to $30,000. Eligible families can apply for GSS by Oct. 15 while those eligible for CalEITC can apply and receive funds from up to four years later.

While the California Franchise Tax Board estimates more than 4 million taxpayers are eligible to receive CalEITC for the 2020 tax year, 3.5 million have applied through May 15 and received tax refunds totaling nearly $590 million. Meanwhile, there are about nearly one million people in California who earn less than $30,000 per year and are eligible for the Golden State Stimulus this year, who can still apply for the two programs to put more money into their pockets.

Californians who had an income of less than $66,000 in 2020 are eligible for free filing through myfreetaxes.org, where they can find a free tax filing site near them. Individuals and families who are applying with a federally issued Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) can find support through the ITIN guide, should their ITINs have expired and they need assistance renewing or getting one.

Community power program goes online for businesses

San Diego Community Power (SDCP), the not-for-profit community choice energy program, launched renewable energy services for commercial and industrial energy customers in the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, and Encinitas. Commercial and industrial account holders will be enrolled over the month of June as customers of a public energy company committed to providing clean energy, competitive rates, and innovative programs. The move offers businesses a choice in energy providers for the first time in the region’s history.

“Businesses no longer have to decide between affordable rates and meeting their climate action goals,” said SDCP Board Chair and Encinitas Councilmember Joe Mosca, SDCP Board Vice Chair. “SDCP provides the rare win-win-win scenario of affordable rates, cleaner energy, and community reinvestment supporting economic and environmental sustainability.”

Starting June 1, SDCP flipped the switch for approximately 72,000 commercial and industrial accounts representing nearly 60% of its forecast energy load. The not-for-profit community choice energy program launched renewable energy procurement services for municipal customers in March and will launch residential service beginning in February of next year.