Scoop It or Serve It: Punish lazy dog owners with mandatory community poop scooping duty
The Issue
If you won’t pick up after your dog, you should have to pick up after everyone else’s.
My name is Jake Gould, and I live in Hollywood, California where I’m tired of turning a simple neighborhood walk into an obstacle course of dog poop.
In order to fix this, we’re calling on the California Legislature and governor to enact a law in 2027 requiring anyone found guilty of failing to pick up after their dog in a public place to complete at least four hours of community cleanup where they must collect dog waste around their city.
The consequence should directly address the harm: help clean the public spaces you’ve left dirty.
California already has a similar approach to littering. Penal Code section 374.4 allows courts to require at least eight hours of litter pickup for those who are caught littering. We want lawmakers to establish an explicit cleanup requirement for failing to collect dog waste.
The program should provide cleanup equipment such as gloves, bags, and safe working conditions, with accessible alternative service for people whose disability or medical condition prevents this work.
In such a partisan political environment, this is one thing everyone should agree on. If you bring your dog into a shared space, pick up what your dog leaves behind. Your neighbors shouldn’t have to do it for you—or carry it home on their shoes.
We urge California lawmakers to introduce this proposal in the 2027 legislative session, hold a public hearing, and send it to the governor’s desk.
SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION SO WE CAN SCOOP IT OR SERVE IT.
Jake Gould is a Change Ambassador who receives compensation in connection with this petition.
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The Issue
If you won’t pick up after your dog, you should have to pick up after everyone else’s.
My name is Jake Gould, and I live in Hollywood, California where I’m tired of turning a simple neighborhood walk into an obstacle course of dog poop.
In order to fix this, we’re calling on the California Legislature and governor to enact a law in 2027 requiring anyone found guilty of failing to pick up after their dog in a public place to complete at least four hours of community cleanup where they must collect dog waste around their city.
The consequence should directly address the harm: help clean the public spaces you’ve left dirty.
California already has a similar approach to littering. Penal Code section 374.4 allows courts to require at least eight hours of litter pickup for those who are caught littering. We want lawmakers to establish an explicit cleanup requirement for failing to collect dog waste.
The program should provide cleanup equipment such as gloves, bags, and safe working conditions, with accessible alternative service for people whose disability or medical condition prevents this work.
In such a partisan political environment, this is one thing everyone should agree on. If you bring your dog into a shared space, pick up what your dog leaves behind. Your neighbors shouldn’t have to do it for you—or carry it home on their shoes.
We urge California lawmakers to introduce this proposal in the 2027 legislative session, hold a public hearing, and send it to the governor’s desk.
SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION SO WE CAN SCOOP IT OR SERVE IT.
Jake Gould is a Change Ambassador who receives compensation in connection with this petition.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on October 31, 2026