The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About02-19-2025_Open Session_General Comment_Betit, Cecile_RedactedFrom:Perla Lopez To: Cc:Diane Grant; D-SBCityClerk Subject:RE: The City of San Bernardino Animal Services Shelter Date:Thursday, February 6, 2025 8:33:43 AM Attachments:image001.png Thank you, I received both emails. We will add your comments to the next regular meeting. The public comment email you sent it to is incorrect. Here is the correct email: publiccomments@sbcity.org Thank you and have a great day. Perla Lopez, CMC Deputy City Clerk Office of the City Clerk Office: 201 North “E” Street Mail: 290 North “D” Street San Bernardino, California 92401 Direct: 909.384.5002 | x3210 lopez_pe@sbcity.org | www.sbcity.org From: Sent: Thursday, February 6, 2025 8:29 AM To: Perla Lopez <Lopez_Pe@sbcity.org> Subject: FW: The City of San Bernardino Animal Services Shelter Importance: High Caution - This email originated from outside the City - Verify that the Emaildisplay name and Email address are consistent. - Use caution when openingattachments. Version 2 of 2 From: Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 5:28 PM To: 'publicomments@sbcity.org' <publicomments@sbcity.org> Subject: FW: The City of San Bernardino Animal Services Shelter Importance: High A duplicate to make sure I see the receipt. Apologies. From: Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 5:04 PM To: 'publicomments@sbcity.org' <publicomments@sbcity.org> Subject: FW: The City of San Bernardino Animal Services Shelter Importance: High Good afternoon, I would appreciate that my comments be provided to the Mayor and City council and made part of the meeting record. With appreciation, Cecile Betit From: Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 4:42 PM To: 'Kristine Watson' <Watson_Kr@sbcity.org>; 'Leslie Walker' <Walker_Le@sbcity.org>; 'Jasmine Glover-McNamara' <Glover- McNamara_Ja@sbcity.org>; 'SBRescue' <SBRescue@sbcity.org>; 'Fred Shorett' <Shorett_Fr@sbcity.org>; 'Sandra Ibarra' <Ibarra_Sa@sbcity.org>; 'Flores_Ma@sbcity.org' <Flores_Ma@sbcity.org>; 'Knaus_Ki@sbcity.org' <Knaus_Ki@sbcity.org>; 'Mayor@sbcity.org' <Mayor@sbcity.org>; 'Theodore Sanchez' <Sanchez_Th@sbcity.org>; 'Juan Figueroa' <Figueroa_Ju@sbcity.org>; 'Dr. Treasure Ortiz' <Ortiz_Tr@sbcity.org>; 'Council@sbcity.org' <Council@sbcity.org>; 'Attorney@sbcity.org' <Attorney@sbcity.org>; 'clayton_ro@sbcity.org' <clayton_ro@sbcity.org>; 'senator.reyes@senate.ca.gov' <senator.reyes@senate.ca.gov>; 'assemblymember.ramos@assembly.ca.gov' <assemblymember.ramos@assembly.ca.gov> Cc: 'pgarcia@fontanaca.gov' <pgarcia@fontanaca.gov>; ' <jsandoval@fontanaca.gov>; 'jroberts@fontanaca.gov' <jroberts@fontanaca.gov>; 'pwcothran@fontanaca.gov' <pwcothran@fontanaca.gov>; 'gkey@fontanaca.gov' <gkey@fontanaca.gov>; 'mballantyne@fontanaca.gov' <mballantyne@fontanaca.gov>; 'drobertson@rialtoca.gov' <drobertson@rialtoca.gov>; 'acarrizales@rialtoca.gov' <acarrizales@rialtoca.gov>; 'rtrujillo@rialtoca.gov' <rtrujillo@rialtoca.gov>; 'escott@rialtoca.gov' <escott@rialtoca.gov>; 'joeb@rialtoca.gov' <joeb@rialtoca.gov>; 'cityclerk@rialtoca.gov' <cityclerk@rialtoca.gov>; 'evail@bwslaw.com' <evail@bwslaw.com>; 'hgarcia@rialtoca.gov' <hgarcia@rialtoca.gov>; 'abrown@rialtoca.gov' <abrown@rialtoca.gov>; 'citycounciloffice@coltonca.gov' <citycounciloffice@coltonca.gov>; 'fnavarro@coltonca.gov' <fnavarro@coltonca.gov>; 'dtoro@coltonca.gov' <dtoro@coltonca.gov>; 'kchastain@coltonca.gov' <kchastain@coltonca.gov>; 'luisgonzalez@coltonca.gov' <luisgonzalez@coltonca.gov>; 'jechevarria@coltonca.gov' <jechevarria@coltonca.gov>; 'citymgr@coltonca.gov' <citymgr@coltonca.gov>; 'svargas@coltonca.gov' <svargas@coltonca.gov>; 'larreola@lomalinda-ca.gov' <larreola@lomalinda-ca.gov>; 'pdupper@lomalinda-ca.gov' <pdupper@lomalinda-ca.gov>; 'rdailey@lomalida-ca.gov' <rdailey@lomalida-ca.gov>; 'rrigsby@lomalinda-ca.gov' <rrigsby@lomalinda-ca.gov>; 'jlenart@lomalinda- ca.gov' <jlenart@lomalinda-ca.gov>; ' <bjindal@lomalinda-ca.gov>; 'jthaipejr@lomalinda-ca.gov' <jthaipejr@lomalinda-ca.gov>; 'cogt@grandterrace-ca.gov' <cogt@grandterrace-ca.gov>; ' <bhussey@grandterrace-ca.gov>; 'dwilson@grandterrace-ca.gov' <dwilson@grandterrace-ca.gov>; 'jallen@grandterrace-ca.gov' <jallen@grandterrace-ca.gov>; 'srobles@grandterrace-ca.gov' <srobles@grandterrace-ca.gov>; 'khenderson@grandterrace-ca.gov' <khenderson@grandterrace-ca.gov>; 'kbolowich@grandterrace- ca.gov' <kbolowich@grandterrace-ca.gov>; 'Supervisor.Cook@bos.sbcounty.gov' <Supervisor.Cook@bos.sbcounty.gov>; 'Supervisor.Armendarez@bos.sbcounty.gov' <Supervisor.Armendarez@bos.sbcounty.gov>; 'Supervisor.Rowe@bos.sbcounty.gov' <Supervisor.Rowe@bos.sbcounty.gov>; 'SupervisorHagman@sbcounty.gov' <SupervisorHagman@sbcounty.gov>; ' <Supervisor.Baca@bos.sbcounty.gov>; 'Jennifer.Osorio@dph.sbcounty.gov' <Jennifer.Osorio@dph.sbcounty.gov> Subject: The City of San Bernardino Animal Services Shelter Importance: High Good day CSBAS Staff, San Bernardino City Council and Contracting Cities Councils and Interested Parties, As one of those experiencing growing alarm, for what is occurring at the City of San Bernardino Animal Services Center, I offer the following recommendations: A thorough review of humane, ethical and business practices for animal care; A management performance evaluation that goes beyond budget, statistics and facilities into the care of animals, community communication and relationships; A review of management performance and shelter needs with an eye toward reconfiguring the salary budget in favor of increasing funds for a veterinarian and reducing those for senior administrative and management functions; A review of the contracts with cities sending dogs in light of the growing CSBAS euthanasia lists; The convening of a group of local people with the charge to recommend ways improve the lives of animals and increase interactive two-way communication with the local communities for purposes of education and involvement at the SB shelter. Local people could do a great deal to calm fearful animals, exercise them, etc. No one looked at the SB shelter support system- - such as networkers, volunteers, etc. before the animal housing contracts went into effect. Volunteers spend hours and hours in playgroup and looking for rescues, pledges, adopters. Their numbers need to be increased. Local people attend SB City Council—meeting after meeting—citing their concerns. These are met with silence, no questions, no hints or suggestions for follow-up or review and no public action. Perhaps processes could be developed to receive community input and hear SB CC efforts toward improvement. Will an SB CC response only follow legal and civil action? In the interests of your reading time, this letter is a summary. I have extensive documentation for points raised here. City of San Bernardino Animals Services Management: As leadership grows increasing insulated and uncaring—siloed from the interests it is hired to serve: animals and the SB community— one sees more and more reference in social media to the SB death camp and slaughterhouse. CSBAS leadership has moved into a new building protecting it from its animals’ conditions. It offers the public growing numbers of euth listed dogs—described in behavior and medical language that meets California requirement for euthanasia. A burnt ear, birth leg defect, overweight, a dog fight, fear and aging all qualify for death at what should be the SB animal shelter. Often this is not only a death sentence but death with an urgency in just a few days (put in motion shortly upon an animal’s arrival with death close to its available day: often without extension—though there are some—when requested). Many reasons for killing animals would be unnecessary with a veterinarian on the premises. Who speaks for the animals living in these conditions: Big dogs, often young, unaltered, confined in tight quarters without exercise are said to be fed 1 cup of food once a day. Dogs’ food should not be rationed. Most animal professionals recommend twice a day feeding. Hunger leads to more resource guarding, more fights with a death penalty. Dogs have no scheduled exercise. Playgroup should be a regularly scheduled activity involving all dogs on a regular basis. For any problem with a dog at the SB shelter—the solution is death. How to help dogs leave SBC? Put in the kennel cards reasons people should adopt/rescue this dog. The kennel cards rarely state good things about an animal to lead a rescue or adopter to want this dog. The cards usually provide reasons to justify killing. Many of these reasons come from a cursory visit with a dog upon admission having been catch-poled. The language, on the cards, offends many who love dogs and are working to save them. The CSBAS priority appears to be establishing behavioral and medical reasons as legal ones allowing a kill. SB shelter leadership acts in ways suggesting it would rather rid itself of dogs--so as not to take care of them. No one working to save dogs in the last several months has spoken of competency, compassion or care coming from SB shelter management. Photos and Videos are often the quickest and most ignored Path for RTO, Rescue and Adoption: The admission photos at times are good and other times the dog is so far away as to be blurred in the background. For RTO, adoption and rescue, dogs need to be seen. More and more rules are being placed on videos and photos—not one is helpful to getting a dog saved. Even playgroup which provides videos, seems to have some kind of a restriction that dogs can’t be in play group if close to deadline on the euth list. Does staff not want animals to be saved? Playgroup should be an ongoing and daily activity for the dogs. Put temporary kennels back up to give dogs space: After months of prodding, some temporary kennels were put up. Then they came down quickly. With the temporary kennels, staff would be able to separate dogs for feeding and dogs would not be so jammed together. All of the above is in the interest of making improvements for the dear animals at the SB shelter. Thank you. Best, Cecile Betit Cecile G. Betit Ph.D. Independent Researcher Member, SBC Networker Team since 2016 mobile Email as above.