Thank you "soy" much!

Eight raging wildfires have consumed more than 140,000 acres in California over the past week. While thousands of people have been evacuated, crews of brave firefighters have headed in to battle the flames.

As a way of thanking the courageous firefighters for all their hard work, PETA sent a contingent of "cuties" to California with delicious, dairy-free Tofutti Cuties frozen desserts.

If only the fires would disappear as quickly as our tasty treats.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

As a result of budget slashes in Los Angeles, 15 fire trucks and six ambulances will be collecting dust instead of responding to emergencies. That news got our wheels turning.

Faster than a team of strapping firemen could slide down a pole and hop into their non-decomissioned truck, we had an idea. PETA's sexy "nurse" should grace the side of the one of the ambulances in our "Bypass Heart Surgery—Go Vegan" ad, which would be seen all over Los Angeles.

The L.A. Fire Department gets money for the ad, an ambulance gets back on the road, and residents get the lifesaving message that a vegan diet can help prevent heart attacks—and even reverse existing heart disease. Everybody wins!

Posted by Karin Bennett

ci.arcadia.ca / CC

Oil's not the only thing they're changing at L.A. Jiffy Lubes. After learning that Ringling beats and whips animals behind the scenes (among other things), the prez of the chain's SoCal operations has promised us that the Jiffy Lubes in the greater Los Angeles area will no longer give away free Ringling tickets with the purchase of an oil change.

That's one way to stick it to those dip sticks at Ringling!

Posted by Amy Elizabeth

zimbio / CC

When my beloved Boston Red Sox famously traded Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs back in '04, I knew that it was for the best. But when Manny Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers just one short year ago, I had the opposite reaction. I knew Manny was trouble. I knew he was dragging the team down. But deep down, I was sorry to see him go.

Now that Manny has been hit with a 50-game suspension for failing a drug test—allegedly because of an impotence treatment to counteract the, um, negative side effects of steroid use—Boston fans can rest a bit more easily knowing that the Red Sox made the right move shipping him off to L.A. last summer (Jason Bay slugging .667 through 32 games doesn't hurt, either). But we here at PETA are left wondering: Why would Manny turn to pharmaceutical "performance enhancers" when the best way to combat impotence is a healthy vegetarian diet?

Most people these days understand that the saturated fat and cholesterol in meat, dairy, and eggs clogs the arteries to your heart, leading to an increased risk of heart disease. But eating meat actually impedes the blood flow to all your organs—including the one that comes with a Y chromosome. And the best way to be sure that organ will continue to come through for you is to go vegetarian.

With that in mind, PETA is urging Manny to consider switching to a vegetarian diet so that he can continue to come through in the clutch without failing any more drug tests. You can read our letter here, and you can learn more about the performance-enhancing benefits of a vegetarian diet here.

Posted by Dan Shannon

redfishbluefish / CC

We were appalled when the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services terminated a crucial program that assists low-income residents by offering coupons for free spaying and neutering of their animal companions.

Thankfully, city officials woke right up after the tremendous outcry from local residents, and the city of Los Angeles is once again doing its part to curb the companion animal overpopulation crisis.

That's a smart move, Los Angeles.

It must be really difficult to defend the elimination of a spay-and-neuter program when millions of homeless animals are running through the streets dodging cars, evading cruel humans, and enduring extreme weather conditions—let alone pumping out litter after litter of babies.

As anyone who works in the animal protection field knows, spay-and-neuter programs are essential for getting at the core of the animal overpopulation crisis. When 6 to 8 million homeless animals are dropped off at animal shelters every year, finding homes just isn't good enough. The key is prevention—and spaying and neutering, my friends, is the answer.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

cbc / CC

We all know that Pamela Anderson is an actress, a mother, and an incredible advocate for animals. But have you ever wondered how she really spends her days or what she eats, for that matter?

The ever-lovely Pamela Anderson is back on television, and to the delight of all her fans—including those of us right here at PETA—this time, she'll be playing the person that she knows best: herself! Her documentary series, Pam: Girl On the Loose, premiers August 3 on E!, and it's sure to satiate the needs of gossip queens everywhere.

Pam says, "Aside from keeping up with my kids, I don't exercise much, so I credit my veggie diet for my good health. Los Angeles is the easiest place in the world to eat vegan."

So while you're anxiously waiting for a hugely fun dose of Anderson reality, check out some of Pam's favorite places to eat at in Los Angeles. And if you don't live in the City of Angels, well, don't fret! It doesn't mean your future is full of boring green salads. Just visit HappyCow.net, and search for vegetarian restaurants in your city. Here's the list from Pam herself:

1. Flore Vegan Cuisine
   You've never—even when you ate meat—eaten a Rueben sandwich as rich and yummy as the one Flore cooks up.
   
2. Madeline Bistro
   Beet tartare to beat the band and you don't have to like beets! And vegan chocolate soufflé.
3. Pure Luck Restaurant
   Fried pickles, vegan sloppy joes and BBQ sandwiches. And they cook with jack fruit, which is an amazing fruit they use to make the mock meat tangy.
4. Astro Burger
   Lastly, if you are a fast food junkie you can always count on the Astro Burger on Melrose near Paramount Studios for veggie chili dogs and soy chicken fajitas.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

The mandatory spay/neuter ordinance, which I was talking up this week on the blog, passed today at the Van Nuys City Council meeting with a 10-1 vote! There is still one more vote to take place next week which will finalize it, but the decision will be made based on simple majority. According to my colleagues in LA who were at the meeting, there were hundreds of people in attendance, including Bob Barker who spoke on the importance of spaying and neutering. Boo-ya!

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped push this historic bill into law.