Banning Intact Dogs at L.A. City Dog Parks? We say ,”No."

>Jen Byrne wrote: "There are a few people that I know of that are planning on fighting this Proposal. So we need people to come to this meeting and voice their opinions on how intact dogs in the dog park can negatively affect YOUR visit to the dog park."

(Link to post to follow shortly.)

Well, first what is the "Major" problem this is causing? Yes, can use my imagination but would rather learn what the problems are. Any stats? Reports? A file of complaints?

As it stands, I am against this. All of my dogs have always been spayed or neutered, that is my belief concerning population, etc. However, the City has not BANNED unaltered animals. Some of these animals are legally intact. If you argument is with the current law then please address the current law.

With Boks's antics this past few weeks and economic things being what they are, there are going to be unaltered dogs. Of course, many people are ignorant and stupid. Others have dogs which are legally unaltered for whatever reason. Any resident of L.A. who is not breaking the law or the standing rules at the parks should have full use of City services.

That is how it is in a free and democratic society.

On its face, this proposal is draconian and fascist (sorry but it is). There are better less drastic ways to address this problem, and if I attend the meeting, I will present them.

What's next? Breed banning? Ban dogs which drool too much or dirty up the water bowls?Let's ban dogs who pee on the park i. Ban marking dogs. Ban dogs with bad breath or who paw you with a muddy paw. In my 15 years in the LF,SL,EP area, I have never seen owners at the SL dog park more responsible and courteous then they are now. This is a great achievement and I'm sure Jen has something to do with that.

The solution lies in the responsibility, or lack thereof, of the dog's owner/guardian/pet-sitter/walker for dogs' behavior at the parks. The cure for stupidity is not more laws. Who is going to enforce this? Are citizens going to be running people out of the park. Will there be violence? Should we spray them with the hose. Are you going to call a ranger every time you see testicles? How will you know if a female is spayed or not? The cure for stupidity is not more laws. It is education and reason. With Boks, we have neither. We do it on our own and with the help of many dedicated organizations and individuals. Let's not start hatching Boksian lame-brained proposal.

I vote NO.

Jeff de la Rosa

Ed Boks Dodges Council's Bullet: Reinstates Spay/Neuter Discount Coupons- Zine Calls For Boks To Resign!

(L.A. Times story below)

In a typically dramatic and squirrelly move, Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager, Ed Boks, has today reinstated the program which distributes spay/neuter discount coupons to low income people and to others. His next move? Call Carla Hall at the Times. Right...she's the one who puts a nice-guy filter on all things Boks.

City Council is scheduled to pass a motion on Friday, March 27, 2009 to force him to do just that as well as to report to Council on the matter, and to request that City Controller Laura Chick perform an audit on the Spay/Neuter voucher program.

Boks's bold move was necessary to try to save his skin and his job as the calls for his head on a platter reached fever pitch this week, climaxing with Council member Tony Cardenas and the City's Public Safety Committee (Animal Services is under the authority of the Public Safety committee and the Municipal Codes under which the Department operates are under Section V PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROTECTION in the L.A. Municipal Code) SLAMMING Boks's head to the mat in submission and expressing, under no uncertain terms that they are weary of his antics, his wasting of the Committee's time and that of Council and his rogue deviation from the direct and popular (though un-executed) Mayoral mandate to achieve a "No Kill" Solution to the City's animal issues . Recently, kill numbers and intake numbers for dogs and cats have skyrocketed. Although Council did order Boks's to cut $300,000 from his 2008-2009 expenditures, they DID NOT authorize an end to the coupon program , nor are they pleased with his lame-brained unilateral action to end the program. Last week, Boks had abruptly announced a "halt" to the program without consulting either the Animal Services Board of Commissioners (theoretically but not in practice, the authority over Ed Boks and the Department of Animal Services) OR the Spay/Neuter Advisory Committee who was just about to release a report on the program.

Here is Carla Hall's (Ed's "softball" mouthpiece at the Times) account of today's decision:

From the Los Angeles Times:

L.A. animal services reinstates free sterilization services
Department head Ed Boks reverses his decision to suspend the program for low-income pet owners, a move that prompts more criticism of his management.
By Carla Hall
March 26, 2009

The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services has reinstated its program to give low-income residents vouchers for free spaying and neutering of their pets, the department's general manager, Ed Boks, announced Wednesday.

But Boks' reversal of his decision to suspend the program two weeks ago, which prompted an outcry from animal welfare advocates and members of the Los Angeles City Council, did not placate one council member who is suggesting he resign.



*
Los Angeles discontinues spay-neuter vouchers

"I think it's time for Mr. Boks to find another place to work," Councilman Dennis Zine said. "It's been a continuing saga of him and his mismanagement."

Zine said Boks' recent actions were part of a list of decisions over the last few years that the councilman believed were ill-conceived.

Boks, who can be fired only by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, said e-mails from the public and from animal welfare advocates praised his reversal. He added, "I stand ready and willing to meet with Dennis Zine any time, any place to help move the department forward. This has been an open invitation for well over a year."

Boks said he cut off vouchers for free sterilizations only as a last resort to cope with his department's budget shortfall. On Monday, council members excoriated him for not seeking the advice of the council or the advisory bodies to Boks' department before suspending a program that helps low-income residents comply with the city's ordinance requiring residents to spay and neuter their pets.

"You don't make a rash decision that undermines our spay and neuter program," Zine said. "The program is designed to keep animals alive and not be killed. And many low-income families want to comply but don't have enough money."

carla.hall@latimes.com

City Council to Force Ed Boks to Do His Job

On March 20, 2009 the Los Angeles City Clerk entered the following Council Agenda item for the Council Meeting to take place on Friday, March 27, 2009 (downloadable PDF here):

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ATTEND THIS MEETING.
AN APPROXIMATE TIME FOR THIS AGENDA ITEM
WILL BE POSTED HERE LATER TODAY.

AGENDA

LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2009 10:00 A.M.
JOHN FERRARO COUNCIL CHAMBER
ROOM 340, CITY HALL
200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
INTERNET: www.lacity.org; click on Council file number for background documents

ITEM NO. (19)
Council File number 09-0601
MOTION (CARDENAS - ALARCON - ZINE - ET AL.) relative to the Spay and Neuter Voucher and Coupon Program. Recommendations for Council action:
1. INSTRUCT the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services (DAS) to immediately reinstate the Spay/Neuter Voucher and Coupon Program funded through the Animal Spay and Neuter Trust Fund.
2. INSTRUCT the DAS, with the assistance of any other pertinent city department to report to the Public Safety Committee on Monday, March 23, 2009 on the status of the Spay/Neuter Voucher Program including the status of the high volume spay and neuter clinics.
3. REQUEST the Controller to perform a follow up audit of the 2008 Spay/Neuter Voucher and Coupon Program with the emphasis on the outreach and effectiveness of the program to reach out to low-income residents.
4. INSTRUCT the General Manager, DAS, to take into consideration the preliminary recommendations of the Spay and Neuter Advisory Committee’s Preliminary report to the Council due on March 30, 2009 and consult with the advisory committee members in moving forward with assuring the spay and neuter voucher program is made available to the city’s low-income residents and effective strategies are in place for outreach.
5. INSTRUCT the DAS to report back to Council on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 on the requested

We at BW are grateful to Councilmembers Cardenas, Zine, Alarcon and Garcetti for sponsoring this motion and for their continuing dedication to the animals and the People of Los Angeles (notwithstanding the horrendous vote to keep Billy the Elephant imprisoned at the Zoo. We expect them to reverse this decision and will lobby them accordingly.).

If you are also appreciative of the actions of Councilmembers, we urge you to call or write to them and thank them. You are of coure encouraged to say whatever else you think about the mismanagement of Animal Services under the current management by Boks and Barth. Leaving comments here is an easy way to do that. They do read this blog.

If you are needing the email addresses of any Councilmember, please email us at laboardwatch@gmail.com and we will gladly provide them. We have found that publishing email addresses on this site leads to spam being sent to those addresses and will no longer publish email addresses here. Probably.

BW.

Council Committee Drops An ANVIL on Ed Boks! Go Road Runner!

I leave this topic to Ed Muzika, Rick Orloff and others who attended the meeting. Check L.A. Animal Watch for coverage. Here's the audio for Windows Media Player (skip ahead to Tony Cardenas beginning at time stamp 55:35). MPEG version is also available at http://www.lacity.org/cdaudio_wm.htm (See Public Safety Committee Special Meeting 3/23/09.
"Beep Beep!"

Yes, YOU CAN ATTEND BOTH MEETINGS AT CITY HALL 3/23

The Animal Services Board will convene at 10AM with 2 appeal hearing to start. This should take minimum 45 minutes. The issue of Jeff de la Rosa's dog, Maeve is up first at the start of the regular meeting (10:30-10:45).
The Public Safety Meeting convenes at 10:30 with the voucher/coupon issue LAST on the agenda. The Committee will hear a "report" from Animal Services (Barth or Boks) so they can't be at two places at one time. I would think that the Commissioners would be interested enough to take a break to go down the hall and listen to this "report."
Your attendance at both meetings is possible on both issues we hope you're concerned about. LIves are at stake at BOTH MEETING AND YOUR ATTENDANCE AND OPINION IS IMPORTANT TO BOTH the Animal Services Commissioners and the Public Safety Committee.

1. The Department's grudge match to "ban" a 14 year old dog from the City--"Maeve" after their 2005 decision was tossed by Superior Court Judge James Chalfant.

2. The "mystery" of the "canceled" spay neuter coupons, which Boks is now blaming on a 'rogue' email.
You'll have two chances to watch Ed try to wriggle out of being decent and fair and logical. Don't miss either, please.

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.