THE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER HAS NOW BEEN OFFICIALLY VOTED OUT FOR Laguna Hills AND for Rancho Santa Margarita (RSM), AND OTHER CITIES MAY FOLLOW BUT THE COUNTY SHELTER WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN! THE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER HAS BEEN VERY PUBLICLY EXPOSED, IS NOW BEING CLOSELY MONITORED AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED IN THE FUTURE FOR HARD EVIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANT CORRECTIONS TO ANIMAL CARE SERVICES AND EFFORTS TO PLACE MORE ANIMALS IN GOOD HOMES. ITS SERIOUS LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FOR THE RESIDENTS AND PETS IT IS SUPPOSSED TO BE SERVING IS BEING CHALLANGED AS WELL. THE RSM CITY COUNCIL MEETING WAS A NAILBITER BUT, IN THE END, THE RSM CITY COUNCIL CAME THROUGH STRONGLY FOR RSM RESIDENTS AS WELL AS FOR US IN LAGUNA HILLS, BECAUSE THIS WAS A 2 CITIES TOGETHER OR NOTHING PROPOSITION.
MORE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ON APRIL 12, 2016 THE FINAL MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) WAS SIGNED BY LAGUNA HILLS
On April 12, 2016, Mayor Barbara Kogerman signed the Memorandum of Understand approved by the Laguna Hills City Council between Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo for Animal Control and Shelter Services. She said, Watch for news of a signing ceremony at the Mission Viejo Animal Shelter with Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo. Mayor Kogerman said she was so grateful for the votes from all three city councils. The total vote, from all three cities, was 14 Yes votes for the benefit of our residents and pets. there was only one No vote.
Laguna Hills' Assist. City Manager Don White said 3 weeks ago the Laguna Hills City Council directed us to approve the contract for animal care services with Mission Viejo if the RSM (Rancho Santa Margarita) City Council would also agree to contract with Mission Viejo. Mayor Kogerman and Assistant City Manager Don White attended the RSM City Council Meeting on 3/23/2016 where RSM unanimously approved the 3 year agreement to contract with Mission Viejo for both cities. Laguna Hills agreement goes to the Mission Viejo City Council on 4/26/2016 then to RSM on 4/27/2016. Following that, there will be a notice to terminate services with OC Animal Care effective January 1, 2017.
Mayor Kogerman asked if there was any possibility that this agreement would not go through and when will the final contract be signed?
Assistant City Manager Don White responded - Can't speak for other cities but Laguna Hills has done it's part. The final contract could be signed as early as the end of the month, possibly in a joint signing ceremony.
Mayor Kogerman added that Mission Viejo is coordinating that joint signing celebration.
HUGE THANK YOU'S FOR LAGUNA HILLS' MAYOR BARBARA KOGERMAN WHO WORKED SO HARD FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND PETS ON THIS ISSUE, AND FOR ALL THE LAGUNA HILLS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY STAFF WHO GOT IT ROLLING AS WELL AS FOR ALL THE RSM CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF WHO COMPLETED THE PROCESS FOR OUR 2 CITIES AND FOR MISSION VIEJO'S CITY COUNCIL, and STAFF AND SHARON CODY, THE FOUNDER OF THE MISSION VIEJO ANIMAL SHETER, A FORMER MAYOR OF MISSION VIEJO AND THE PRESIDENT OF DAWG (DEDICATED ANIMAL WELFARE GROUP) - THE INCREDIBLE FUNDRAISING ARM OF THE MISSION VIEJO ANIMAL SHELTER AS WELL AS GAIL DE YOUNG, THE DIRECTOR OF THE MV ANIMAL SHELTER AND ALL THE MISSION VIEJO ANIMAL SHELTER STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. WE ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO A VERY SPECIAL CITY ATTORNEY, GREG SIMONIAN, WHO SERVES BOTH LAGUNA HILLS AND RSM FOR SO COMPENTANTELY GUIDING BOTH OF OUR CITIES THROUGH THE LEGAL BOTH OF OUR CITIES THROUGH ALL THE LEGAL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS.
THANK YOUS TO ROSE TINGLE AND HER GROUP - CITIZENS FOR ANIMAL SHELTER, ORANGE COUNTY (on facebook) AS WELL AS ON VOICE OF OC, THE BRAVE LADY, SHARON LOGAN, WHO SUED THE COUNTY SHELTER FOR ITS EUTHANASIA PRACTICES, DR. JIM GARDNER, (Lake Forest Patch at - http://patch.com/california/lakeforest-ca) WHO FERRETED OUT SO MUCH MISREPORTING FROM THE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER AND EXPOSED IT. WE THANK VALERIE BROMBERG, TOM EPPERSON, JAMES VAUGHN and ALL THE GROUP FROM SOUTH COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER COALITION AND ALL THE DEDICATED RESIDENTS OF ALL OC CITIES WHO HAVE DOGGED THIS ISSUE FOR SO MANY YEARS, AS WELL AS ALL THE WONDERFUL AND DEDICATED OC GRAND JURY MEMBERS WHO LISTENED TO RESIDENTS, INVESTIGATED AND REPORTED WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE COUNTY SHELTER.
1999-2000: We Can Do Better...Improving Animal Care in Orange County
http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/GJAnimalCare.pdf
2003-04: The Orange County Animal Shelter - Are Improvements Needed? http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/animalshelter.pdf
2007-08: Is Orange County Going To The Dogs?
http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/dogstudy/dog-study.pdf
2014-15: If Animals Could Talk About the Orange County Animal Shelter
http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/2014_2015_GJreport/Shelter_Performance_V8R2_web.pdf
2014-15: The Orange County Animal Shelter: the Facility, the Function, the Future
http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/2014_2015_GJreport/OC_animal_shelter.pdf
ALSO, A HUGE THANK YOU TO ORANGE COUNTY'S OWN COUNTY AUDITOR, WHO WAS BRAVE AND HONEST ENOUGH TO TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH IN THE MOST SCATHING OF ALL THE REPORTS ON THE COUNTY SHELTER'S BEHAVIOR. The Performance Audit of Orange County Animal Care done by Philip Cheng, the Orange County Performance Audit Director - Final Report on March 24, 2015 at:
http://cams.ocgov.com/Web_Publisher/Agenda03_24_2015_files/imagesO00315-000276A.PDF
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE AND GROUPS WHO CAME OUT, CAME TOGETHER, AND FOUGHT FOR THIS THROUGH THE LETTERS THEY WROTE AND MEETINGS THEY ATTENDED AND ALL THEY DID OVER THE YEARS WITHOUT EVER GIVING UP. WE ARE IMMENSLEY GRATEFUL FOR THE
WONDERFUL MISSION VIEJO ANIMAL SHELTER WHO WAS KIND ENOUGH TO GIVE OUR LUCKY CITIES AN OPTION FOR DEDICATED KINDNESS AND CARING FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND THE PETS THEY LOVE!!!
** PLEASE SCROLL DOWN to see the next 2 blogs containing the closing comments from each of the City Council Members of Laguna Hills and Rancho Santa Margarita regarding their final votes in favor of contracting with the Mission Viejo Animal Shelter. We are so very proud of all of them!!!
Jean Bland, South County Animal Shelter Coalition
No comments:
Post a Comment