ZINE Moves to Find Mary O'Connor's Service Dog, Hambone

On April 13, 2009 , although the Board of Animal Services Commissioners had canceled their meeting for the same day, due to the Easter holiday, Jack Weiss's Public Safety Committee was at work and held a meeting. At that meeting, I gave testimony which the full council had heard before both from Mary O'Connor and from me. I asked the Committee to make whatever moves are necessary to force Ed Boks and Linda Barth to make a meaningful effort to find and return Hambone, Mary O'Connor's service dog which is beleived to have been stolen from the pound. See this post and this petition.

On April 14, 2009 Councilmember Dennis Zine made the following motion in an effort to get information from Ed Boks and Linda Barth +/- Read more... as to their procedures and protocols which pertain to finding stolen animals, especially those that have an "owner." Not suprisingly, the motion was seconded by Councilmember Cardenas. Zine and Cardendas , along with Richard Alarcon are on the warpath headed right for Ed Boks's head and this flagrant deprivation of Mary O'Connoer's rights by the Department Animal Siezures is just the thing to incensed the following constituent groups: Women, disabled persons, rape survivors, low income citizens, pet owners and critics of the Department of Animal Services. That's a lot of votes. We at BoardWatch commend Mr. Zine's action to make this motion...we just wish it had been made on March 27 when Mr. Boks and Mary O'Connor were both present at council's meeting. However, we understand that it takes time to investigate allegations made by the public and it appears that Mr. Zine, retired police officer has found enough evidence to support Mary's claim. We look forward to swift action on this case, now that Council has recognized the need for it.

MOTION

LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL

April 14, 2009

(Click HERE to see the Original Motion)

Recent public testimony at City Council and Committee meetings has indicated that a
dog that was impounded at a Los Angeles Department of Animal Services (LAAS)
shelter is now missing and may have been stolen. Any breach of security that would
allow an impounded pet in the care ofLAAS to be stolen or otherwise taken by an
individual other than its owner should be thoroughly investigated.
In the course of the Department's daily work, many animals that do in fact have owners
are found or seized and then taken into custody at LAAS facilities. While this
impounding function is critical to preserving the safety of animals and the general public,
pet owners also have a reasonable expectation that efforts will be made to reunite them
with their lost pets. LAAS policies should be reviewed to ensure that impounded pets are
successfully reunited with their rightful owners whenever possible.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the Department of Animal Services report to the Public
Safety Committee with a detailed accounting of its policies regarding found, seized, or
otherwise impounded animals and the procedures in place to reunite them with their
owners, including a plan to correct any security deficiencies that may lead to the theft of
animals that are held at the City's shelter facilities.

PRESENTED BY : Dennis Zine

Councilmember 3rd district

SECONDED BY: Tony Cardenas

BREAKING NEWS: Animal Services Board Takes Aim on Death Star

OUR FIRST BREAKING NEWS!: Ed Boks and Linda Barth Guilty of Misappropriating Funds?


The meeting that wasn't supposed to happen turned the L.A. North Central Animal Care and Control center upside down, this afternoon, as the Board of Commissioners took out their blasters and put the Evil Empire, helmed by Barth Vader, square in it's sights.

When we last left the Board at their March 23 City Hall meeting, the next scheduled meeting was to take place on April 27. But, due to some heavy whining on our end, the Board quietly announced on Friday last that they would indeed meet twice in April and that their first meeting would today at 1PM at the NC "shelter." The room was small and initially stuffy as we trudged though the agenda. Ed Boks was absent again as he has been from every meeting, his own or City Council's, since Council skewered him in late March which was quickly followed by Councilmember Alarcon's "NO CONFIDENCE" motion.

Laura Beth Heisen, Bobby Dorafshar and Rachel Papp presented the Spay Neuter Advisory Committee's preliminary report which called for lots of things to happen which will further our goal to be a "No Kill" city. For 2 hours, the report was bandied about until finally, the Board voted to implement whatever measures could be quickly implemented as the report makes it way through the bureaucratic maze. Essentially, this dedicated and hardworking volunteer Committee has done the Department's job (for which we pay Boks and Barth dearly) for them and has proposed real procedures and protocols to alleviate the stall of the opening of the system's own spay/neuter clinics as well as other measures our highly paid management team should have been working on for the last 3 years.

Next, came the seemingly innocuous item 4: Discussion of a "Verbal update on Spay / Neuter Program Expenditures," This discussion began as simple presentation of "where does the money go," but soon, ever diligent Vice President Kathy Riordan wanted answers about why the Department (you, the taxpayer) has paid out--or been billed for-- $179,000 to the Sam Simon Foundation for Mobile Spay/Neuter surgeries, when Sam Simon has NO CONTRACT WITH THE CITY TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES. You see, the Administrative Code provides that any expenditures to a vendor over $20,000, and which take place over more than a year MUST be only to a vendor who has an APPROVED CONTRACT with the City. Simon lost this contract to the Amanda Foundation 2 years ago, so why is he billing--more importantly, WHY ARE WE PAYING HIM ANYTHING?

The Amanda Foundation holds the current "spay/neuter van" contract with the Department and today was awarded a further 3-year contract. It seems that Sam Simon (billionaire (millionaire?) producer on the "The Simpsons" gravy train) has been billing the Department--and been getting paid--$80 per surgery- with no discount coupons being presented. Without a city contract, this puts him in direct competition with approved vets who are being asked to accept less money for their surgeries. In her comments to the Board, Teri Austen (Amanda Foundation) was "incensed!" She even asked the City Attorney's rep whether Boks and Barth making these payments amounted to "misappropriation of funds" which is a big "no-no" in government. City Attorney: "I can't answer that question." I answered it for her in my comment, "Yes, it is misappropriation of funds." I was incensed--the whole room was incensed but for Barth, who tried to wriggle out by saying that she wasn't there when the Simon contract was terminated and the Amanda contract took over. Linda Barth was there to approve payments to Sam Simon even though she knew damn well that Simon held NO CONTRACT and should have been paid exactly $0. Mention was made of Simon's 60 Minutes interview from which everyone assumed that Simon was paying for all of these surgeries out of the goodness of his deep pocketed heart. Not so, apparently. If this is not the death toll for Ed Boks and Linda Barth, then Lord only knows what it will take.
More coverage tomorrow including:

• a heroic "Save Stu" motion by Commissioner Quincey.
• a demand from the Board for an investigative "closed session" regarding the theft of Mary O'Connor's dog, "Hambone." The session will be "closed" because employees are accused of being involved in the theft of this disabled woman's dog.
  
• a demand for a report on why Danielle of Diamonds in the Rough (DIR) rescue is being harassed by the Harbor shelter ACOs, why she's been banned from pulling animals, and why her New Hope card was pulled. Danielle says, that ACOs who admired her work have been transferred out of Harbor. Seems like the current District Supervisor has it in for DIR and the Board wants to know why.

This was a meeting to be remembered. Too bad Ross Pool couldn't put it together to have a tape recorder there. Hope he took good notes.

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