California on Animal Cruelty Laws

Although America as a whole has been reviewed on its stance of Animal rights, California should be isolated.  Since it is such a progressive state with many accomplishments, focusing on how we treat animals here can be eye-opening.  California has some strict rules when it comes to Animal Cruelty.  The government fines the abusers heavily.  However, is this so progressive state lacking in some ways?  The two cases presented in the article prove that we have some of the worst cases of cruelty.  Other states have more refined laws that punish the criminal even harder.  California's animal pounds are also filling up, and there is hardly any place left to go.  People are abusing animals in California at alarming rates, and some cases are brutal.  Laws don't mean anything when a person is alone with a helpless animal.  It's always after-the-fact that we can find what has happened.  California, and other states need to step up their role in making animal cruelty something that is shunned upon by society.  My state needs to be a leader in this cause, like many other things.