South County Animal Shelter Coalition

Report on Laguna Hills City Council Meeting on 10-27-15 re. Agenda item 6.2 - Overview and Update on OC Animal Care Operations and New Shelter Update.from the South County Animal Shelter Coalition, Jean Bland

Council Member Andrew Blount was absent from this meeting.

An overview on the animal shelter problem was presented by Laguna Hills' Assistant City Manager Don White who informed us that after 74 + years of using the same county animal shelter structure in the City of Orange; and after 20+ years of promises from the Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS) whom the OC Grand Jury said have "been keenly aware of the real and immediate need for a new shelter facility"; and after the City of Laguna Hill's response to the last scathing Grand Jury Report about the current state of the County Shelter stating that the City was going to consider both the County Shelter and other options, the County is now warning Laguna Hills and other cities that they need to make a solid financial commitment to a proposed new county shelter by about April 1, 2016 or our City will be "OUT" related to a loss of County Animal Care Services for 2 years or more. Don White added that if our City is "OUTED" by the County, we would need to have another animal shelter commitment formally in place by July 1, 2017 or the County will terminate services and we will be left with none. The County has also provided current contract cities with a range of possible shelter cost allocations based on project costs of $20M, $25M, and $30M depending upon the size of a new shelter. For Laguna Hills, this would mean a contribution of $249,000 if $20M, $332,000 if $25M, and $415,000 if $30M.  The commitment the County will be seeking includes a financial contribution to the shelter’s construction costs and a long-term contract, likely ten years.

Council Member Don Sedgwick responded that the County is growing all the time so they should be looking at more room at a new shelter regardless of the number of cities that may pull out now. He continued that it sounded like the OC Grand Jury may have had a significant impact on the county or the County is just gaming us again as they have been for the past 20 years.

Assist City Manager Don White added that he does believe the County, this time, regarding their commitment to expedite construction of a new shelter 12.7 miles from Laguna Hills on a 6.7 acre shelter site because the County has now chosen a piece of land for the shelter site that is free from contamination, therefore environmental clean-up of contamination on the site, from the Navy, is no longer a problem.  White said the new site is land currently owned by the So. OC Community College District and the college district is willing to agree to a land swap.   According to White the land acquisition will be completed by 1/11/2016 and the Grand opening for the new County Animal Shelter will be 9/2/2017. Others at this council meeting stated that this land swap has already been on the table for two years without resolution.

Mr. Tom McCabe, spoke during Public Comments. Tom identified himself as one of the members of the Orange County Grand Jury who served on the Grand Jury 2014-2015, and was a participant in the report - IF ANIMALS COULD TALK ABOUT THE ORANGE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER - The Facility, the Function and the Future. This report began with the following quote -  “Ever occur to you why some of us can be this much concerned with animals suffering? Because government is not. Why not? Because animals do not vote.” Paul Harvey.
See this Grand Jury Report at - http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/2014_2015_GJreport/1415_Final_Report.pdfTom reported that this "land swap" issue re. the land for a new County Shelter, is still held up and he has no idea of how it could be ready by the end of the year, as the Navy was unwilling to commit to when the property could be clean the lst time he spoke with them.

Laguna Hills resident Tom Epperson also spoke and noted that as far as he knows, the target property is clean but the community college district is unwilling to let it go until a land swap can be achieved, so there appears to be no real commitment here.

Mayor Pro-Tem Barbara Kogerman stated she read all 185 pages of the 11 staff reports on this issue and was very disappointed in that this report indicates poor staffing, poor decision making, poor veterinary care, poor shelter staff morale. In addition there are serious staffing issues noted, short 9 field officers, sanitation issues at intake related to not cleaning between animals. Also Poor management practices, no Chief Veterinarian on staff until 2 years ago and staff can override decisions of Veterinarians.  None of these animal shelter issues appear to have been addressed in new reports and she added that volunteers at the County Animal Shelter are not allowed to perform any of the duties of the shelter staff. She also noted that if residents take their pets to the County Shelter to be put up for adoption, they are required to sign a paper stating that they are giving permission for euthanasia of their pets as well and then those pets are considered to be "owner relinquished for euthanasia".

Kogerman noted that Lake Forest has identified Normandale Park as a possibility for a shared shelter with Laguna Hills. This item is waiting to be agendized at a Lake Forest City Council Meeting, and added that Mission Viejo has offered to give us a proposal for Animal Care Services again now.  She noted that the issue of indemnification that was brought up in 2005 does NOT appear to be a problem as the contract wording for that in Mission Viejo's contract with member cities is exactly the same as the wording in the County Shelters contracts with their member cities.
Kogerman proposed that Laguna hills continue to work with Lake Forest and request a proposal for animal care services from Mission Viejo rather than just bend over to the County.

Council Member Carruth stated how disappointed she was in Jim Gardner, Council Member from Lake Forest regarding him not here being here tonight to assist in this discussion.  Mayor Pro-Tem Kogerman explained that she asked Jim not to attend because she didn't want it to appear that Jim was directing them related to what action to take and apologized to the council if she made the wrong decision re. Jim.

Council Member Don Sedgwick said time is running out but he does not want to preclude Lake Forest and Mission Viejo and wants to hear what they have to say while we still have some time. He added that regarding a new County Facility why not demand new management with a new shelter and at least in the beginning get a citizen oversight committee started to assist with that.

Mayor Dore Gilbert suggested a 2 step process with Mission Viejo asking key questions of concern first based upon higher fee and indemnity issues, then decide on request for proposal related to answers to those key questions. He commended Jim Gardner, Lake Forest City Council Member for his efforts to date and requested the door to remain open for further discussion.

Mayor Pro-Tem Kogerman made a motion to keep the 3 choices open, request answers to their questions from Mission Viejo and keep a dialogue open with Lake Forest as well as the County but don't drag feet.  Explore all options as said we would do in our response to the last Grand Jury Report on the County Shelter and try to get answers to just a few questions from Mission Viejo before the next council meeting.

All council Members agreed except Council Member Carruth who noted that she has supported the County since 2008 and continues to do so.  She also mentioned the Equestrians.  Assistant City Manager Don White noted earlier in the meeting that if the County loses Laguna Hills that would not be anything significant related to building a new shelter because Laguna Hills is such a very small portion of their business.
The South County Animal Shelter Coalition learned in 2013, while investigating local animal shelter's that the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter also has been faced with the problem of large animals, including horses, in their city that occasionally need shelter services and they have an agreement with the County Shelter to handle these animals.

During this meeting Council Member Kogerman also stated - It is also important to note that various Grand Jury Reports chastised the County for being grossly understaffed and OCAC answered they had requested additional funding for more staff and were routinely denied.  What will happen to our costs when and if the county decides to adequately staff the new shelter?  Given the county's apparent commitment to improve service, isn't it obvious that past costs are no predictor of future costs? 

During this meeting, Assistant City Manager Don White stated that he has served on the County Shelter's Financial and Operational Advisory Board for 7 years and noted that the County is responsive to the suggestions of the members of that board related to many matters, including capital expenditures.  *** An important and relevant question, to which we should have answers, regarding Assistant City Manager Don White's service on the County Shelter Advisory Board would then be how much of an impact did Don White have on that County Board over the past 7 years? 

What suggestions/recommendations were advocated by Don related to increased safety and care for animals at the shelter, better services for residents of member cities, shelter maintenance including repairs and improvements, etc.?  Also over the past 7 years and which of Don's suggestions were actually implemented?

Multiple Orange County Grand Jury Reports over recent years of so many significant problems in every aspect of the Orange County Shelter operations including the structure have been devastating. We are very grateful to the OC Grand Juries for monitoring this so well and diligently for all of us and we all need to be reminded that there are occasional capital maintenance expenditures involved in maintaining facilities properly and maintaining quality of services. Mission Viejo and all other respectable animal shelters that are concerned with care and services regularly maintain their facilities as needed rather than allow them to disintegrate. So, residents and council members need to consider whether just the cheapest service has been and continues to be the standard for Laguna Hills of if safety, quality, and convenience including proximity of service are important for residents and their pets.

South County Animal Shelter Coalition  - Jean Bland