Ron Kaye's Plan to Overhaul the Commissioner Selection Process

 Read the whole story.


Kaye says, "The mayor simply has too much power.

A simple solution that would find popular support would be to allow the mayor only one appointment and give the Controller, City Attorney and the Council one each.

The fifth commissioner should be chosen by the Neighborhood Councils.

This would at least create some semblance of balance and actually empower the Neighborhood Councils in a way that City Hall has fought since their inception.

We don't need commissions that are simply going to roll over to the orders of the mayor and Council. We need people who will stand up for what's right, not sign off on what's wrong."

About those meeting minutes...and the Board Secretary, Ross Pool

For as long as I've known there was  Department of Animal Services Board of Commissioners, Ross Pool, a Management Analyst (grade/salary/job description unknown), has been it's Secretary. Unlike other Boards and Commissions, this Board/staff seems to like to give Pool power that is not within the job description of Secretary. One of those powers is to pretend to be a Commissioner. Others are to open and close the meetings, determine agenda items, comment on agenda items, re-arrange their order and, in general , to be a pompous ass.

Los Angeles Charter and Administrative Code references:
Sec. 21.3.  Assignment of Employee as Commission Secretary.
     As required by Charter Section 504, the general manager of each department under the control and management of a general manager shall assign an employee of that department, other than a member of the board, as the secretary to the board of commissioners of the department, if any. The Council may by ordinance, at the request of the general manager concerned, combine the position of secretary with any other position in any department.  The board of each department under the control of a board of commissioners shall assign an employee of that department, other than a member of the board,  as the secretary to the board of commissioners.

I know of no record where this Board assigned Ross Pool to this position. I'll ask (LOL). I also know of no Council ordinance which permits Pool to hold both a "management analyst" position AND the position of Board Secretary. I'll ask about that, too. If neither exists, then there is a violation (s) of the Administrative code by this Board and the General Managers and/or interim general managers.

Sec. 21.4.  Duties of the Secretary.

   The secretary of each board created by the Charter or by ordinance shall keep a record of the proceedings and transactions of the board, specifying the names of the commissioners at all meetings and giving the ayes and noes upon all votes. The secretary shall post and publish all orders, resolutions and notices which the board shall order to be posted or published, and shall perform such other duties as are imposed upon him or her by the Charter, ordinance, or order of the board.

Why should we care? Because, for one (there are many issues concerning Pool's "work" as secretary and more of them will be reported in forthcoming blog posts), there have been no minutes of Board meetings posted since the posting of minutes for a February meeting. Normally, at each Board meeting, there is an item in which the Board is asked to approve the minutes as compiled by Pool. Often, Commissioners request changes to the minutes to reflect what actually happened and what was said, rather than Pool's often bent interpretation of what was said and/or done. Often, at subsequent meetings, Pool does not make the requested changes or the changes are just ignored either by Pool or at the direction of whichever person seems to be controlling the Board at a given time. Since Boks's demise, it has been Linda Barth (and Jim Bickhart since forever) who controls the Board, what they may place on their agendas and when.

All of this obstruction serves the purpose of keeping the public in the dark. In order to determine what happened at a Board meeting, one must either attend on a weekday at 10:00 a.m (call first..they may have canceled due to a  controversial issue being threatened to be addressed by the public) or download a gigantic 30+megabytes file of audio and wade through the whole thing. I suppose you could call Barth and ask her or call Pool, but that is not what is supposed to happen and you are not likely to get a straight answer, if any.

Sec. 21.20.  Applicability of Charter Provision 506.

     Each city department, office or commission created by ordinance shall comply with Charter Section 506, unless expressly provided otherwise by ordinance.

(To be continued...)

Animal Defense League to Hold Lawsuit...For Now.

The Los Angeles chapter of the Animal Defense League (ADL-LA) has announced that they will not file suit against the City of Los Angeles alleging improper hiring practices concerning the city's search for a new General Manager for the City's Department of Animal Control.

From the announcement:

The plaintiffs were going to file the complaint (law suit) through their attorney, along with their exhibits and declarations today April 26th, 2010. But the plaintiff's have decided to wait until the Mayor NOMINATES the new General Manager. Because if for some reason our sources were misinformed and Villaraigosa nominates a general manager that Councilmember Zine and many well respected individuals from within the humane community suggested to the LAAS commission and Jim Bickhart as the kind of General Manager LAAS needs; one who is progressive, humane and knows what protocols, policies and programs to implement that will drastically reduce the kill rate and dramatically increase the adoption rate, the plaintiffs will be left with "Egg on their faces!"

We Are Not Stupid, Commissioners!

[SAMPLE LETTER TO THE BOARD OF ANIMAL SERVICES COMMISSIONERS]
Email Blocks

To: Commissioners
"Tariq Khero" <tariqkhero@gmail.com>, "Kathy Riordan" <ninekitties@aol.com>, "Archie Quincey" , "Irene Ponce" <ireneponce@earthlink.net>, "Ruthanne Secunda" <secundar@unitedtalent.com>,

CC: Department of Animal Services
"Ed Boks" Boks@lacity.org>,, "Council President Eric Garcetti" Garcetti@lacity.org>, " Councilmember Richard Alarcon" <councilmember.alarcon@lacity.org>, "Councilmember Dennis Zine" lacity.org>, "Councimember Tony Cardenas" <cardenas@council.lacity.org>, "Councimember Jack Weiss" <weiss@lacity.org>,"Councimember Wendy Gruel" <greuel@lacity.org>,

Board of Animal Services Commissioners
City of Los Angeles
221 N. Figueroa St. 5th Floor
Los Angeles CA 90026

Dear Commissioners,

At the April 14, 2009 meeting of your Board, Commissioner Archie J. Quincey introduced the following motion:

“I would like to make a motion that the Commission overturn Mr. Stuckey’s decision
on the Stu case based on an unfair hearing. Errors were made in the records of Stu
and the evidence must be considered in the case. The two small pieces of Maeve’s
record are material to Stu’s case and should be included therein.


I therefore move that the Board direct the City Attorney to withdraw opposition to the appeal.


I further move that the City Attorney send a letter to the Court of Appeals asking them to send
the case back to Superior Court and direct the court to issue a Writ of Mandate for
Stu’s decision to be set aside based on due process considerations".

Yet, the motion has not been placed on any agenda and has not been acted on by your Board. Six weeks later, at the May 26, 2009 meeting of your Board, Commissioner Irene Ponce requested that the motion be placed on the very next agenda for a vote by the Board. That vote would have taken place on June 8, 2009. At the last minute on Friday June 5, 2009 this meeting was cancelled without explanation.
We are not fooled, Commissioners. We suspect that you did not cancel this meeting. So why was it cancelled and by whom?

For too long, this Board has been controlled by a dishonest and corrupt General Manager. Ed Boks was forced to resign because he betrayed the trust of the City, its citizens and its animals. Two prominent lawsuits, on two coasts, showed that he was not only inept, but that he abused his position and power by discriminating against an employee based on race in New York City; and that he wrongfully terminated a female employee/volunteer who sued for sexual harassment. This last case cost the taxpayers of Los Angeles a $130,000 settlement which was recently approved by City Council. This is not how I want my tax dollars and the resources of my City Attorney's office used.

Now, even as Ed Boks slowly backs out the door and continues to collect a huge salary paid from my taxes, you are allowing the mismanagement and interference with your Board to continue. I will not stand by silently and allow this to happen.

While I appreciate the recent efforts this Board has made to correct is lax and unlawful practice of failing to hold meetings, the cancellation of the June 8, 2009 meeting of your Board is a despicable act. I am well aware of the case involving Jeff de la Rosa's dog, Stu; and that your Board desires to have jurisdiction of this case returned to you so that a fair and just decision can be made which will result in Stu being allowed to return to his loving home after 4 years of horrible imprisonment. I am also aware that your Board has opened discussions with Mr. de la Rosa in order to achieve an out of court settlement of this issue and a soon to be filed lawsuit against Mr Boks and other Department employees, as well as the City of Los Angeles. I am aware that your Board was to address and act on Stu's case at the meeting scheduled for June 8, 2009. We in the animal community are not stupid; and we see, very clearly, what is happening and how your Board is being manipulated in order to prolong and continue the persecution of this poor dog Stu and his owner. I do not want my tax dollars spent defending the vengeful actions of the Department of Animal Services and the City Attorneys which wrongfully condemned an innocent dog named Stu and turned the life of a citizen, Jeff de la Rosa, upside down for the last 4 years.

I believe that Mr. Boks, various City Attorneys, Asst. General Manager Linda . Barth, and Mr. Ross Pool are actively blocking an equitable and fair settlement of this issue. This is wrong. You have proposed settlement but are now permitting that settlement to be blocked by those who seek to continue to corrupt the work of the Board.

I believe that these people caused the cancellation of this meeting in order to silence the Board and keep them from taking action on Stu's case.

I want this to stop. Now.

I am appalled that your Board allows itself to be manipulated by the very staff and Department which is, by law, under your control.


Please adhere to the law, search your consciences and immediately schedule a Special Meeting to take place without delay and well prior to the June 18, 2009 hearing in the Court of Appeals regarding Stu's appeal. Please do the work of the animals and the people of the City of Los Angeles and take your position on the Board of Commissioners as an assignment of the public trust. We will not
stand by and allow this injustice to continue.

Please include me on a list of people who will be notified of the immediate scheduling of a special meeting, at which Commissioner Quincey's motion regarding Mr. de la Rosa and his dog Stu may be heard, seconded and passed.

You must end this horrible tragic miscarriage of justice now. Please take meaningful action now.


Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME] DELETE THIS FROM YOUR LETTER/EMAIL

Disabled woman's service dog STOLEN by Los Angeles Animal Services?

Cover up?

There are so many things wrong with this tragic story that it may be difficult for you to believe. However, I've verified everything personally. It's all horribly true. Help Mary O'Connor. please. The City has shunned her and stolen her friend, companion and trusted Emotional Support Animal, named "Hambone."

Mary O'Connor is a 32 year-old woman who loves animals. She loves her animals the best. s Mary doesn't just love her animals, she needs them. Mostly alone and living for the past few years on the razor's edge in Los Angeles, a doctor has prescribed these animals to help comfort Mary through the pain of 3 debilitating conditions, which make it nearly impoosible for her to hold a job. Endomitriosis, severe Depression and ADHD make every day a real struggle for Mary just to get through.

'"Hambone" is a 3 lbs. "tea-cup" Yorkshire Terrier, which Mary purchased from a reputable breeder because she needed a very small dog to take with her everywhere. "Hambone" is a registered Emotional Support Animal given the same privileges under the Law as any other Service Animal. Ham is not spayed-She is exempt as a working animal. She was only 9 months and is now 1 year old. She is micro chipped. Mary is disabled with 3 conditions and is lost without Ham. She can't sleep and worries about Ham constantly. How did Ham end up in the pound?

Mary O'Connor was evicted from her apartment for having animals. In Court, the Judge wanted settlement. Mary's defense was that her animals were registered support animals. True. Mary agreed to leave the apartment and the landlord paid her a settlement to avoid a discrimination lawsuit. It was a small settlement. With part of that money, she purchased Hambone.

Then it happened again. She was evicted again for having animals. This time she was physically removed from her home and abused by an L.A. County Sheriff Deputy on December 18, 2008. Los Angeles animal services seized her animals, including Ham. They told her to pick them up when she had a place to live. NO CHARGES WERE FILED. On January 9, 2009 Mary was raped in the City of Los Angeles. She had no dogs with her at the time. LAPD refused to press charges although Mary picked the RAPIST, "Noah" out of a line up.

Mary attempted to redeem the animals on January 12, 2009 and was told the following by Lt. Transo, an Animal Control Officer:

"Sorry to inform you but Hambone was stolen." No, they did not tell her prior to the day she came to pick him up.
"We think two customers stole her because they were left alone with her for 15 minutes." WHAT?!
"Sorry to inform you but 2 of your birds are dead."
They offered her another dog and other birds. WHAT?!

LAPD is investigating but Detective Jesse Linn is unable to devote any significant time to finding Ham. He does, however firmly believe that an employee from the North Central Animal Shelter STOLE THIS DOG. THIS TRAIL IS TWO MONTHS OLD AND GETTING COLDER BY THE HOUR.

Mary has petitioned and BEGGED the Department, City Council and LAPD to please find her dog-- especially since they know a City Employee stole her!

click to download REWARD/WANTED POSTER

Coincidentally, OR NOT, 5 teacup Yorkies were sold for as much as $5000 each by Ed Boks in his last grandstanding stunt for 2008. When? Two days after Hambone was impounded.

Please click here to sign petition. In your petition comments, please show your disgust for the behavior and inaction by these officials. Please email us to be on the list to distribute flyers to all vets, stores and other places where Ham may be spotted. LABoardwatch@gmail.com

Tell these City officials that they must investigate this theft and return Hambone to Mary O'Connor:
..The BOARD : Tariq Khero tariq...khero@gmail.com
Kathy Riordan ninekitties@..aol.com
Ruthanne Secunda secundar@..unitedtalent...com
Archie Quincey ajq1trq2@..aol.com,
Irene Ponce ireneponce@..earthlink.net

Mayor's Office:
Tell Jim Bickhart to "allow" the Animal Services Board of Commissioners to order a complete investigation of this case. The employees at the N. Central Animal Care and Control center MUST be questioned.
Jim Bickhart Jim.Bickart@lacity.org

City Council:
Councilmember Ed Reyes councilmember.reyes@lacity.org or ed.reyes@lacity.org
This unlawful eviction happened in YOUR district, Mr. Reyes; and the dog was STOLEN IN YOUR DISTRICT. Where is your motion to council for an investigation of employee theft at the shelter? Where is your motion for REWARD MONEY for the safe return of this dog and the arrest and conviction of this evil thief?

Councilmember Zine Dennis.Zine@lacity.org,
Councilmember Tony Cardenas cardenas@lacity.org,
Councilmember Jack Weiss weiss@.lacity.org,
Councilmember Richard Alarcon alarcon@lacity.org,richard.alarcon@lacity.org,
Management:
Ed.Boks@lacity.org,
Linda.Barth@.lacity.org

Ask these reporters why they will not cover this story.
Media:
Carla Hall carla.hall@..latimes.com,
Steve Mikulan smikulan@laweekly.com,
"Kovacik, Robert (NBC Universal, KNBC)" robert.kovacik@nbcuni.com,
"Dana Bartholomew" dana.bartholomew@dailynews.com

REWIND 2008 : January 28 Board Meeting

When we last left our Board, two weeks ago, on January 14, 2008 the following items were left in limbo:
1. A new "transfer" permit ordinance.
2. Regulations for the "Elephant Walk" and similar events.

Neither item is on the agenda for further discussion or resolution at this meeting.

We still don't know if the January 14 meeting even took place because there are no minutes posted at http://laanimalservices.com/commission

And now..the January 28, 2008 Board Meeting:
+/- Read more...

MINUTES
BOARD OF ANIMAL SERVICES COMMISSIONERS
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Monday January 28, 2007
10:00 A.M.
CITY HALL
200 N. Spring St.
Room 1060
Los Angeles, CA 90012

BW comments are in bold italics.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL HEARING
Commission Vice-President Riordan called the Administrative Appeal Hearing to order at 10:20 A.M. Present were Commissioners Riordan, Brown, Ponce, and Quincey.

President Khero is M.I.A.

First up are 3 appeal hearings for Barking Dog cases.

3 citizens have complained that neighbors' dogs bark too much which has resulted in an Administrative Hearing for each dog owner.

Boks has made 3 decisions. From what we can tell from the minutes, Boks issued terms and conditions to 1 dog owner in order for them to keep their dog licenses. Boks revoked the licenses for the Appellants 2 and 3 . Revocation of a license bans the dog from the City permanently and revokes the licenses of all other dogs owned by the "Respondents." See Municipal Code Sec. 53.18.5.

It would be interesting to know if these banned dogs were "deposited" at the shelter and then killed or if the owners somehow managed to get them new homes outside the City. We suspect all dogs are dead for barking.

The Board voted to uphold Boks's decision in the first 2 cases, but they overturn Boks's decision to revoke the third party's license and issue terms and conditions. They also fine the third Respondent $250. This was likely Qunicey's idea.

The Board recesses after 55 minutes at 11:15 AM.

COMMISSION MEETING

1. ORAL REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER – EDWARD BOKS The General Manager reported on the No kill Equation. Many in the community are asking why we are not implementing those recommendations. This report demonstrates what we have been doing. In addition, the 2007 Statistical Report for the Department. This report compares our progress in previous years. Both reports are in your binders. The General Manager requested the Commission to review both items so they could be placed in the minutes as reviewed.

Notice that Boks does not answer the "community's" questions.
Boks does not read the report in his ORAL report so we don't know what's in there. Nor is the report linked on the Commission agenda pages. The report is therefore not made public. This may be a violation of the Brown Act. This detail escapes the Commissioners and they let it slide. Luckily, Boks has done extensive disingenuous blogging about this at "From the Desk of Ed Boks." It's drivel and bullshit so we won't link it here.

2. COMMISSION BUSINESS

A. Approval of the Commission Meeting Minutes of December 17, 2007.
Commissioner Ponce motioned to approve the minutes of December 17, 2007. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Quincey and passed on a vote of 4-0.

B. Oral Report by the Commission on Meetings and Events Attended
Commissioner Ponce attended the funeral of Department employee Christina Winzer and met with Councilman Huizar’s field deputy to discuss the “Be Kind to Animals Week – Humane Education For the Youth” event to be held at the North Central Shelter. Commissioner Riordan attended the funeral for Department employee Christina Winzer.

That's it. That's all the Board has to bring to the table! They approved minutes and reported on their community involvement. We commend Riordan and Ponce for attending the funeral of a Department employee. Shame on everyone else.

3. GENERAL MANAGER RECOMMENDS FOR BOARD ACTION
A. Proposal to Amend the Los Angeles Municipal Code to Require Dogs and Cats to be Sterilized.

Jim Bickhart from the Mayor's office chimes in to grab credit for putting this ordinance together. Usually, an appearance by Bickhart means they are expected to toe the line.

PUBLIC COMMENT:(1 minute)


Teri Auston [sic] (former TV Star and President of The Amanda Foundation): Supports the ordinance. A big part of any ordinance is enforcement. This in not based on AB 1634.

Judy Mancuso: On a city ordinance you can be more specific. In a local level, you can put in microchipping that would never pass at the state level.

Haze Lyn: Supports this effort. The tougher the better. This is a good stepping stone

Phyllis Daugherty: Supports what Mr. Bickhart said. Hope deterrent and fees will help reduce breeding.

They vote to approve this new ordinance 4-0.
It then passed in City Council and is now law.
A subsequent audit by City Controller Laura Chick determined that Boks does not have the money to enforce the new ordinance so it is meaningless , just like the ordinance that says all dogs must be licensed.
The minutes do not include discussion by the Board as to whether the Department has the funds to enforce this new law.

4. DISCUSSION ITEMS
None

Yeah. NONE. With all of the animals killed daily in the pound. The Board has nothing to discuss to stop this.
They have no other items which they feel will improve the Dept. or the conditions for the animals. They have failed us again.

5. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD (3 minutes)

Teri Auston [sic]: Saw a man with puppies for sale on top of his van and saw a dog left out in the rain. Called the local shelter and was happy with the response. She supports the Departments response to the issues. Believes the carrot and stick works to bring dog owners around.

Phyllis Daugherty: Thanked the Board for a vote on the ordinance as it closed another loophole. Believes Department officers are not aware of new ordinance 53.70. Believes they are using old ordinance. Furthermore commented on the officers not writing citations.

6. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Requests from Commissioners For Future Agenda Items:
•Commissioner Ponce would like to consider another meeting day.
We have no idea what she is talking about because the minutes don't tell us. What, she doesn't like Mondays? Does she want a 3rd meeting per month. No clue. This is Ross Pool's job to let us know.
The Board has nothing meaningful that they want to place on their next agenda. Nothing.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Yep. All done. The Board voted to pass a new ordinance at the order of the Mayor.

The next meeting will be on Monday February 11, 2008 at 6:00 P.M., WEST VALLEY ANIMAL CARE CENTER 20655 Plummer Street, Chatsworth, California 91311.
These off-campus meeting are fun. Lots of people show up because the meeting is at a reasonable time of day.

BoardWatch Meeting rating: D- They brought nothing to the table. They rubber stamped an ordinance which would have passed even if they hadn't.

We welcome your comments. Just make up a name if you don't want us or anyone to know who you are.