After 5 years of watching Contra Costa Animal Services turn away healthy cats and kittens and fast track animals either to live outcomes or euthanasia, those that make it into the shelter, I'm beginning to think that this is all a plan switch, from Municipal shelters taking on that responsibility even though it's state mandated to having these Large Animal welfare organizations, the consortiums or the cartels, to take over Municipal sheltering in California
They've already adopted these experimental policies put out by Kate Hurley with Korets shelter medicine
All done without a hearing or a resolution before elected officials.
When you try to lobby or educate public officials on what's happening at their Municipal shelters they look like deers in the headlights. I believe this conversation between Municipal Animal Service directors and the so-called Animal welfare organizations .have been going on for a decade.
And during covid they decided to implement them.
This is not going away.
Always found it interesting then when you look at state laws regarding the mandates it always includes the wording of SPCA or Humane societies.
Although I get they ate 501 C 3s, nit6 why would they be included in mandates by the state.
We all know now that Municipal shelters are violating the Hayden Act.
And not meeting their contractual obligations with the jurisdictions they represent. Contra Costa County contracts with 18 Incorporated cities,
We have tried to point out to the cities that their contracts are in violation of state law and not meeting the requirements.
But they hold the city's hostage because the cities would have to provide their own Animal Services
Contra Costa Grand jury report of 21-22, stated to turn all non-mandated services over to local nonprofits, with no mention of any kind of funding.
Local small nonprofit all volunteer organizations have totally been left out of the conversation regarding these policy changes. The large animal consortiums, such as best friends try to suck us in but then want us to do all this advertising and acknowledgment of the pity $5,000 they give.
Kate Hurley with KSM, screwed off 34 million on administrative cost.
Newsome gave her 50 million in 2020 to help shelters go no kill not to kill treatable health healthy adoptable animals. Contra Costa got $100,000 for some spay and neuters that was eating up in 6 months. And her experimental policies has created a domestic animal overpopulation throughout California. In April Contra Costa County fast track 48 dogs to euthanasia without even reaching out to any rescues. Another policy of wacky Kate Hurley.
Municipal shelters love these policies because they can turn away animals and then tell the public that they have to kill for capacity taking us away from the no-kill philosophy, oh and that Kate Hurley with UC Davis recommends it.
I would really like to know how much money Bruce Wagman the attorney for the San Francisco SPCA was paid to produce webinars on how to turn away cats and dogs from Municipal shelters without legal ramifications. There was absolutely no oversight of that money by the state of California and that money came out of the general fund.
But since there is no State oversight or one department that oversees Municipal shelter or a stream of continuous funding, finding is wasted and animals are suffering and dying.
It is evident now that these large animal organizations are just about taking over Municipal shelters..
What is going to be done about this is the question now
Thank you, Lisa. You’ve laid out a powerful and deeply informed perspective that echoes what many of us are seeing across California. The quiet handoff of public sheltering to private interests, without transparency or public input, is absolutely a story that needs to be told—and challenged. I appreciate you taking the time to share it.
Truly a tragedy. I agree the residents try have compassion and Caring, they are pulling the load. So
Many of the residents are to blame for breeding in their yard for profit and abandoning the unsold puppies. Where are all the homeless dogs coming from? Irresponsible residents. We all must approach this horrific situation from the approach of stopping those causing the problem
Thank you, Tina. You’re absolutely right—preventing the problem at its source is key. Backyard breeding and abandonment are real issues, and without enforcement and education, the cycle continues. It’s going to take a united effort from both the community and our public agencies to turn this around.
This issue is not just about animals, nor even public safety. This response, "Sharing my comments with the public will only alienate those on the Council trying to find a permanent solution," clearly indicates that the mayor & council in question have forgotten that they work for the public, & that like any employee who hides poor work from the boss, should be fired at the next election.
Thanks, Merritt and Beth—exactly. Transparency and accountability aren’t optional when lives are at stake. Elected officials work for the public, and silence in the face of failure is its own form of neglect.
I couldn’t agree more. That statement alone—“Sharing my comments with the public will only alienate those on the Council trying to find a permanent solution”—is proof that they’ve completely lost sight of who they work for. Transparency shouldn’t be seen as a threat. If councilmembers feel “alienated” by public accountability, maybe it’s because they know they haven’t been doing their jobs.
Like you said, anyone hiding poor performance from the people they serve deserves to be voted out. This isn’t just about animals anymore—it’s about a complete lack of leadership, responsibility, and respect for the public they swore to represent.
And sadly, that quote is just a taste of what’s been said—about me and about others in this community who are stepping up to do what the city refuses to. I’ve stayed respectful, kept my distance, and tried to focus on the work, but they’ve gone out of their way to attack and discredit people who are simply asking the right questions.
Unfortunately, this is a microcosm of an unhealthy dysfunctional system found in many areas of the country. As budgets get tighter, the animals, safety, and the general public are forced to suffer.
Thanks, Melissa—well said. What’s happening in the Pass is sadly emblematic of broader systemic failure. Until we prioritize prevention and accountability, communities and animals will keep paying the price.
Thanks, Paul—totally agree that it’s time for a shift from patchwork to proactive. A "Ticket to Fix It" campaign could be an interesting way to link enforcement with funding real solutions. Appreciate the idea and your engagement.
After 5 years of watching Contra Costa Animal Services turn away healthy cats and kittens and fast track animals either to live outcomes or euthanasia, those that make it into the shelter, I'm beginning to think that this is all a plan switch, from Municipal shelters taking on that responsibility even though it's state mandated to having these Large Animal welfare organizations, the consortiums or the cartels, to take over Municipal sheltering in California
They've already adopted these experimental policies put out by Kate Hurley with Korets shelter medicine
All done without a hearing or a resolution before elected officials.
When you try to lobby or educate public officials on what's happening at their Municipal shelters they look like deers in the headlights. I believe this conversation between Municipal Animal Service directors and the so-called Animal welfare organizations .have been going on for a decade.
And during covid they decided to implement them.
This is not going away.
Always found it interesting then when you look at state laws regarding the mandates it always includes the wording of SPCA or Humane societies.
Although I get they ate 501 C 3s, nit6 why would they be included in mandates by the state.
We all know now that Municipal shelters are violating the Hayden Act.
And not meeting their contractual obligations with the jurisdictions they represent. Contra Costa County contracts with 18 Incorporated cities,
We have tried to point out to the cities that their contracts are in violation of state law and not meeting the requirements.
But they hold the city's hostage because the cities would have to provide their own Animal Services
Contra Costa Grand jury report of 21-22, stated to turn all non-mandated services over to local nonprofits, with no mention of any kind of funding.
Local small nonprofit all volunteer organizations have totally been left out of the conversation regarding these policy changes. The large animal consortiums, such as best friends try to suck us in but then want us to do all this advertising and acknowledgment of the pity $5,000 they give.
Kate Hurley with KSM, screwed off 34 million on administrative cost.
Newsome gave her 50 million in 2020 to help shelters go no kill not to kill treatable health healthy adoptable animals. Contra Costa got $100,000 for some spay and neuters that was eating up in 6 months. And her experimental policies has created a domestic animal overpopulation throughout California. In April Contra Costa County fast track 48 dogs to euthanasia without even reaching out to any rescues. Another policy of wacky Kate Hurley.
Municipal shelters love these policies because they can turn away animals and then tell the public that they have to kill for capacity taking us away from the no-kill philosophy, oh and that Kate Hurley with UC Davis recommends it.
I would really like to know how much money Bruce Wagman the attorney for the San Francisco SPCA was paid to produce webinars on how to turn away cats and dogs from Municipal shelters without legal ramifications. There was absolutely no oversight of that money by the state of California and that money came out of the general fund.
But since there is no State oversight or one department that oversees Municipal shelter or a stream of continuous funding, finding is wasted and animals are suffering and dying.
It is evident now that these large animal organizations are just about taking over Municipal shelters..
What is going to be done about this is the question now
.
Thank you, Lisa. You’ve laid out a powerful and deeply informed perspective that echoes what many of us are seeing across California. The quiet handoff of public sheltering to private interests, without transparency or public input, is absolutely a story that needs to be told—and challenged. I appreciate you taking the time to share it.
Truly a tragedy. I agree the residents try have compassion and Caring, they are pulling the load. So
Many of the residents are to blame for breeding in their yard for profit and abandoning the unsold puppies. Where are all the homeless dogs coming from? Irresponsible residents. We all must approach this horrific situation from the approach of stopping those causing the problem
Thank you, Tina. You’re absolutely right—preventing the problem at its source is key. Backyard breeding and abandonment are real issues, and without enforcement and education, the cycle continues. It’s going to take a united effort from both the community and our public agencies to turn this around.
This issue is not just about animals, nor even public safety. This response, "Sharing my comments with the public will only alienate those on the Council trying to find a permanent solution," clearly indicates that the mayor & council in question have forgotten that they work for the public, & that like any employee who hides poor work from the boss, should be fired at the next election.
Thanks, Merritt and Beth—exactly. Transparency and accountability aren’t optional when lives are at stake. Elected officials work for the public, and silence in the face of failure is its own form of neglect.
I couldn’t agree more. That statement alone—“Sharing my comments with the public will only alienate those on the Council trying to find a permanent solution”—is proof that they’ve completely lost sight of who they work for. Transparency shouldn’t be seen as a threat. If councilmembers feel “alienated” by public accountability, maybe it’s because they know they haven’t been doing their jobs.
Like you said, anyone hiding poor performance from the people they serve deserves to be voted out. This isn’t just about animals anymore—it’s about a complete lack of leadership, responsibility, and respect for the public they swore to represent.
And sadly, that quote is just a taste of what’s been said—about me and about others in this community who are stepping up to do what the city refuses to. I’ve stayed respectful, kept my distance, and tried to focus on the work, but they’ve gone out of their way to attack and discredit people who are simply asking the right questions.
Unfortunately, this is a microcosm of an unhealthy dysfunctional system found in many areas of the country. As budgets get tighter, the animals, safety, and the general public are forced to suffer.
Thanks, Melissa—well said. What’s happening in the Pass is sadly emblematic of broader systemic failure. Until we prioritize prevention and accountability, communities and animals will keep paying the price.
It's always finger in the dike approach. If the community is doing this, the community should pay. Ad campaign; Ticket to fix it.
Thanks, Paul—totally agree that it’s time for a shift from patchwork to proactive. A "Ticket to Fix It" campaign could be an interesting way to link enforcement with funding real solutions. Appreciate the idea and your engagement.
The number listed for Sheri Flynn is not a direct number for her. A direct number and her email can be found here: http://banning.ca.us/684/Mayor---Sheri-Flynn