"The proposal to cut the spay-neuter program is asinine," Weiss said. "This is a program that pays for itself by helping low-income folks get their dogs spayed or neutered. Without this, we will see our shelters overwhelmed.
"All the city departments are suffering budget demands, but this should be the last thing that is cut, not the first."
But Ed Boks, chief of the Animal Services Department, defended his decision as driven by urgent economic necessity.
"This was a crisis situation," Boks said in an interview. "When the Titanic is sinking, you go and plug the holes first."
Retorted Councilman Richard Alarcon, who authored the city's spay/neuter law: "I wouldn't heed the advice of the captain of the Titanic any more than I trust Ed Boks in this regard.
"The truth is he did not inform the City Council on the cuts he was making. We thought it would be spread across the department and not devastate what is the strongest area of the budget."
19 comments:
Love that his buddy Alarcon has turned on him too! Way to go Ed, and by calling the mayor the Captain of the titanic (or insinuating it) Hopefully you've lost your job this time for sure!
It made no sense to cut the most cost efficient part of the budget. Have you seen Boks' stupid response? Here it is.
"There has been a lot of misinformation concerning the City's spay/neuter
coupon program circulating in recent days.
The City's spay/neuter program has not been terminated. However,
distribution of our spay/neuter coupons under this program was
temporarily suspended. Since implementation of the City's
spay/neuter ordinance the demand for these coupons has exceeded our
funding.
The Department is working with the Mayor's Office and the CAO to
develop a strategy to soon restore distribution in a manner that can be
sustained."
No one ever said the entire spay neuter program was terminated. We've all just said it was the coupons that were terminated. Boks' spin is getting really bad.
Another thing, Jim Bickhart from the Mayor's office has been helping Boks with budget cuts. He even went to the budget meetings. Bickhart approved of cutting the coupons. He's from the Mayor's office. Sorry, but it's time for both of them to go.
Boks also forgets that just two weeks before he stopped the coupons, he did a big spay day and gave out extra coupons. Maybe that was the problem, doing that extra spay day event. He did the event of course for good PR for himself.
I think this Department head has made more mistakes than any other Department head the City has ever had. Why is he still here? Oh, that's right. The Mayor won't fire him because activists want him fired. He doesn't want to "give in" to the activists. How about giving in to common sense? He's made numerous huge mistakes, lied about everything, disobeyed direct orders... If anyone in the City wants to do a horrible job and keep their job, they should hire ADL to protest them. It seems to work.
Think I'm going to miss Bok's analogies. I agree with him though, when the ship is sinking you need to plug the holes, starting with the largest of them. So why is the largest hole still not plugged? Is it because he'd need to look in a mirror to find it?
I was in council when Alarcon said "how many animals need spayneuter in LA?" Boks said 400,000 apx. Alarcon then said "does LA have the resources to spayneuter all of these animals?" Boks said "oh, yes! we have enough coupons for everyone!"
I believe the City should have foreseen this recession/depression. We'd had over ten years of huge increases in real estate values. Properties tripled in value during that time. Of course people will refi when equity is up. Of course prices/equity will go down. Of course people will lose their homes making the house of cards that is our economy collapse. Stocks based on these mortgages will go down, people will lose their jobs, companies will go bankrupt. There should have been a huge rainy day funds for the City to see us through it, but no. The Mayor gets more credit spending more money than he has doing "programs" to generate PR for himself.
Poster #4 wrote: "I agree with him though, when the ship is sinking you need to plug the holes, starting with the largest of them."
Of all the ships to pick--the Titanic? Ed walked right into that one.
100 REASONS WHY BOKS SHOULD BE FIRED
1. Pitbull Academy-Started program with no approval. Program was never approved. Was reprimanded in City Council
2. Hooters-Put up sexist flyer with no approval, refused to remove it until ordered after embarrassing the City
3. Started Seniors4Seniors program before it was approved. Was reprimanded in Public Safety committee. It wasn't approved until two years later
4. Kapparot-Made anti-semitic remarks about Jews. Later did not enforce City law prohibiting religious animal sacrifice
5. LA Animal Friends blog-Ordered an employee to start a blog to attack his detractors, including employees
6. Sexually harassed rescuers, volunteers and employees
7. Showed up drunk to City events
8. Publicly drove the city vehicle drunk on many occasions
9. Stopped the spay and neuter coupons with no approval even though it is the most cost effective part of the budget
10. Hiring two AGMs to assist him when previous GMs either had only one or none
11. Refused to take in some animals to help his numbers, then lied to City Council about it
12. Released misleading statistical summaries trying to show progress when there was none
13. Caused three times more animals to die, an extra 2,000 animals a year, from his overcrowding which increased illness and injury
14. Bunny and other animals have not improved since he arrived. In fact, euthanasia of bunnies and other animals is higher, more are dying on their own, adoptions and New Hope are much lower
15. Refused to follow instructions and direction from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor
16. Met with Jerry Vlasak of ALF and Pamelyn Ferdin of ADL to try to cut a deal so they wouldn't protest him
17. Offering Vlasak and Ferdin to hire their friend Teri Macellaro if they'll leave him alone
18. Not keeping that promise
19. Later trying to get volunteers to vandalize the home of Vlasak and Ferdin
20. Trying to get volunteers and employees to physically assault detractors, vandalize the cars of protestors, destroy the computers and websites of detractors
21. Calling the Mayor a "little Mexican" who is "wrapped around my little finger" and "will do anything I want"
22. Stating that Controller Laura Chick didn't like the Hooters event because she has no breasts (She had breast cancer and had a double mastectomy)
23. Humiliating, embarrassing, harassing and abusing the employees in front of the public and rescuers
24. Blaming his own mistakes on the employees. Telling the public that his employees are just lazy and enjoy killing animals. Stating that he told them to be nokill but they just plain refused to do so even though he gave them no means to become nokill
25. Promising City Council to make LA "nokill" by 2008 then actually killing more animals than before
26. Personally attacking and insulting billionaire donor Dr. Gary Michelson behind his back calling him a "stupid, pinhead" who "has no idea what he's doing."
27. Attacking the Director of Dr. Michelson's Found Animal Foundations to the point that the organization stopped donating to the Department for a while
28. Reporting two women to the counter terrorism task force because they didn't want to go out with him
29. Telling others that one male detractor is actually a scorned gay wanna be lover when the man is actually straight
30. Contacting LA City in November to consult before he was fired from New York late December because he knew he was going to be fired from New York
31. Speaking poorly of everyone, even his closest colleagues and supposed friends
32. Sharing confidential City and Department information with everyone and anyone
33. Wanting to be the President of the support group for the Department, when that would be an illegal conflict of interest
34. Telling people that he wanted to be the President of the support group so he could collect a huge salary from it when he leaves the Department as GM
35. Sharing confidential information about meetings of the support group, then being kicked off their Board of Directors
36. Calling up many women drunk at night to propose to them, ask them out on dates, threaten to commit suicide and to cry about his failure here in LA
37. Telling quite a few different women that they can be the new AGM even though they had no credentials or experience, then selecting someone else. Later he tells others he just offered them the position so they would feel "wanted."
38. Saying racist things about "dark people."
39. Lying on his resume about years of experience and making "Maricopa the first large nokill city" when he never made any City nokill.
40. After being caught lying about making Maricopa nokill he changes his story and said he made one of his three shelters nokill. He actually had only two shelters and one adoption only center. Then he stated the adoption center was nokill. Animals not adopted from the adoption center were returned to the other real shelters, to be killed.
41. Lying about the numbers in New York. The numbers reported on the website do not match the numbers given to the Health Department or Maddie's Fund. Members of the New York Mayors Alliance stated they had "no idea where he got his numbers."
42. His first year in New York euthanasia increased. His second year he labeled killed animals as "owner requested euthanasia" then did not include them in his numbers to make it appear that euthanasia decreased, when it hadn't.
43. In order to reduce euthanasia, he refused to take in the animals most likely to be euthanized, neonate kittens and feral cats who then reproduced and produced even more kittens the next season which increased euthanasia and costs
44. On the steps of City Hall he claimed LA City the "largest adoption agency in the US" when in fact LA County takes in and adopts out more animals as do others.
45. Stating that LA City is the "largest rescue agency" in the US, in fact the world, when it is not even in the top ten
46. Giving a $20,000 contract without an RFP to an ex-girlfriend. Not reporting the contract until after she'd done most of the work so no one could stop him. Now all contracts over $5,000 must be approved because of his action.
47. Giving away animals for free to New Hope partners which didn't increase adoptions but did reduce income. He did the same in Arizona with the same result so he should have known better.
48. Telling activists that rescuers just take money from the public and don't actually save animals
49. Telling rescuers that activists just take money from the public and don't actually save animals
50. Telling employees that rescuers and activists just take money from the public an don't actually save animals
51. Not overseeing the construction of the new shelters.Allowing outdoor shelters to be built with no protection from the weather. Allowing solar energy to be deleted from the shelters to cover other costly miscalculations and mistakes when all new City development must be "green" and LEED certified.
52. After the personnel complained about his actions, telling the Mayor, Council and Personnel Committee that there are only a small handful of complainers who are just lazy, when actually over half of all employees and 23/25 supervisors complained about him. The others did not complain because they fear his well known retaliation
53. Practicing what he preaches when he says "it's easier to ask for forgiveness, than permission." This is how he rules the Department. He's said so a few times in writing.
54. In lawsuit deposition documents from New York it was revealed that he went over budget and did not have enough money to make payroll. He went to a bank and took out a loan for the Department, without approvals or permission. He was reprimanded
55. Firing a black man with years of experience so he could hire a friend with a criminal past and no experience
56. Then being sued for unlawful termination for said firing.
57. Depositions reveal that he was living with, sleeping with a member of the commission that oversaw his department and was a friend of the person he hired to replace the black employee
58. After making many blunders in the media in New York, a gag order was placed on Boks. He threatens to sue the City over the gag order.
59. Ultimately being fired from New York
60. After being fired his convinces the support group he started to give him an award. Members of the group protest publicly saying he's done nothing to deserve it
61. After being fired from New York, helping an activist group sue the City and Department. Giving them confidential inside information about the inner workings of the shelters, blaming all his failures on the City and employees.
62. Claiming that rats ate his adoption records and people should rely on the digital Chameleon inputs only. Oddly enough no other records were eaten by rats. Most assume the adoption numbers were over inflated.
63. A review of the New York shelter after he left showed that many animals were ill and injured from overcrowding, which also happened here in Los Angeles
64. Telling an activist in writing that his Commander is an idiot who can barely write and makes sexually harassing remarks. This is after that Commander was sued for sexual harassment. The City paid $99,000 in that case to the plaintiff.
65. Telling an employee that black employees play the race card just so they don't have to do their job
66. Publicly telling people that he dumped his ex-girlfriend because she "had short legs" when she is a sweet and beautiful woman
67. Having harassment and discrimination reports filed against him by the employees in LA and New York
68. Telling volunteers that he's embarrassed of the actions of his employees, in writing
69. Bragging to friends that he'd "been with" women when he hadn't. Later retracting his statements when he found out people didn't approve of the other women
70. Sexually harassing a woman. When she threatened to sue him, he then stated that she harassed him.
71. Telling people in writing that he believes his employees are members of ADL (Animal Defense League)
72. Telling people that he thinks his employees ask ADL to protest at their house so they can get a year of paid leave and not have to work
73. Encouraging people to try to get ADL to harass, protest, vandalize the homes of employees he does not like in the hopes that they'll quit
74. Sexually harassing female rescuers and activists for years at the Best Friends "no more homeless pets" seminars. Eventually they appointed a minder to follow him around to curb his activities. Ultimately they stopped inviting him to the events because of his activities.
75. Cheating on his wife with rescuers, especially when he went out of town to speak at Best Friend events. She later kicked him out of the house and divorced him
76. Being the only current Department head to never finish college
77. Missing early morning appointments because of his alcoholism
78. Allowing the best bunny volunteer to quit causing bunny euthanasia to shoot up and adoptions to plummet
79. Writing an op-ed piece about coyotes in the Times stating they are looking into trapping some, when they never did.
80. Flashing his animal control badge stating that he's police to get in a restricted area of a hotel for personal reasons
81. Offering people jobs if they will just have drinks with him, then never actually giving the person the job in question
82. Lying and telling people that he's not allergic to cats, when he is highly allergic
83. Lying and telling people that he bottle fed kittens in his New York apartment that didn't allow cats, when he never had a cat in there because of his allergies
84. Becoming engaged to a woman to stave off sexual harassment reports. After two years they are still not married and have made no plans.
85. Allowing his friends to promote their businesses on the Department website
86. Asking friends for $5,000 to pay write Scully to write a positive, glorified editorial piece about him for the Times. After friends refused he wrote an op-ed piece about himself in the Times.
87. Having Jim Bickhart from the Mayor's office who is supposed to oversee him actually assist him in his major misdeeds in LA such as his blog, the employee's blog, writing his op-ed pieces, encouraging ADL to attack detractors...
88. Doing TNR (trap neuter return) under the table even though it is not yet official LA City policy.
89. After refusing to stop doing TNR without first doing an Environmental Impact Report, Boks and the Department are sued by a few environmental groups including the Audubon. They then deny doing TNR.
90. Telling everyone that TNR will reduce cat populations when that has rarely ever happened in the real world. Boks then tells others that he wants to take all cats in the shelters and dump them outside in TNR feral cat colonies, to improve his numbers.
91. Telling the public that the Audubon and other groups just "hate cats." Trying to encourage people to attack the Audubon and other groups.
92. Misquoting the Audubon in writing and stating that they are for TNR when they are not.
93. Having an unfair labor practice report filed against him by the Union employees in the City. Pending.
94. Being sued for unlawful termination, harassment, sexual harassment by an ex-employee and volunteer. Lying to the City Attorney about said events until physical evidence is provided, then changing his story yet still not telling the truth to his attorney.
95. Hiring his own personnel attorney in the hopes that he can get a golden handshake like Guerdon Stuckey got when he was fired.
96. Looking for a new job outside of California before he gets fired here and can't find a job.
97. Two city attorneys stating to others that "Ed Boks is a lawsuit waiting to happen" before the City was actually sued.
98. Even though the City Attorneys know that Boks is a "walking lawsuit" the City continues to allow him to make more mistakes and cause more liability.
99. Attacking all the councilmembers behind their backs, blaming them for his problems even though they all originally bent over backwards to help him make LA "nokill."
100. Embarrassing the Mayor and City with all these huge mistakes, then being allowed to continue to make huge mistakes. Other cities put a muzzle on him, gave him a handler then were forced to fire him yet our Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa seems happy to let him run amuk.
101. Overcrowding the shelters causing death by dog fights to increase by 2.5x
102. Just plain being a huge embarrassment to the City, Mayor, City Council, employees, rescuers...you name it.
Wow, and I'm sure there are even more reasons. Maybe the answer to get rid of him is for every employee, every volunteer who has ever been harassed in any way by Boks files a law suit, or perhaps a class action against the city. Maybe millions of $ paid out will finally get the Mayor to get rid of him? What d' ya say? I'll happily provide the attorney.
22. Stating that Controller Laura Chick didn't like the Hooters event because she has no breasts (She had breast cancer and had a double mastectomy)
OMG!!! Did he really say that? Does Laura Chick know? Will someone please tell the press about this? This sickens me.
103. Telling employees that he's on their side. Telling activists he's on their side. Telling rescuers, volunteers and the public he's on their side. Boks is only on his side, all by himself. In some ways he's not even on his side. He keeps shooting himself in the foot. Maybe he likes failing.
104. Wasting the taxpayers' money by hanging out at yesterday's City Council meeting when he should have been at work, doing his job.
104. He was at the council meeting? Did Cardenas, Alarcon, Garcetti, Zine make the motion to force him to continue the coupon program? I can't believe he went down there to defend himself.
Yes, Boks really did say that about Laura Chick. He said she didn't like the Hooters event because she was jealous because "she has no tits." Then he joked around saying maybe he should do a wet tshirt contest at the Playboy mansion. He joked that maybe he'd let Chick be the emcee as long as "she promised to keep her shirt on."
Boks is the lowest piece of scum shit in the world. He has something horrible to say about everyone, including people who are close to him and are helping him. Then he burns all his friends and everyone he touches. He wonders why he then loses friends. His explanation is that he's a great guy but all his friends end up stabbing him in the back because they're mean.
That's not it. Boks uses and abuses people. They finally get wise then don't want to have anything to do with him. Then Boks stabs them in the back, blames them for his own personal failures. He really is a piece of work. I pity anyone that comes in contact with him. He's only able to keep civil services jobs so long because cities don't want to be embarrassed by firing him. It makes them look like idiots for hiring him.
Through retaliation, defamation, retribution he's been able to keep people quiet so he can cover up his dirty past. If someone says anything negative, he tells the world that, that person is insane, a terrorist, exlover, wanna be lover, scorned exemployee, just wanted a job, didn't want to work, lazy, enjoyed killing animals, just won't do the right thing...
He's said these things about the Mayor of New York, Board of Health, Commission, Commissioners, employees, volunteers, exgirlfriends, womens who rebuffed his advances, people who refused to go along with his illegal nasty plans... This is why he ends up with so many enemies. He creates them.
Yes, Boks was milling around the council meeting for 3 hours, but never spoke. His "sidekick" was there too. The council did motion to address the issue, 5 council members seconded it. Garcetti was absent. Boks never spoke.
A very generous citizen has just hired an incredibly powerful attorney to represent all those harassed by Boks. This attorney is someone in the media spotlight and this should not only bankrupt Los Angeles, it should ensure that Boks NEVER works in any animal field again.
The details are being worked out, but the attorney is 100% paid for and a class action suit will be filed with the settlement being divided amongst those included in the class. The attorney has only seen a fraction of the proof against Boks, and says, "this is a slam dunk." There is enough proof already of ongoing harassement and the city taking NO ACTION against Boks. Boks should also be personally held liable and possible criminal charges may also be filed against him. Spread the word and start telling people to gather their proof.
The mayor hasn't wanted to listen so far, I have a feeling he'll change his mind very shortly. Suck on that Antonio.
Re - 104 - This is what a friend emailed me about the City Council mtg - "Boks milled around for 3 hours, even had to be asked by the council president to shut up when he went to the back of the room and was talking on his cell phone so loudly...everyone there could hear." Phyllis Daugherty, during public comments, talked about the s/n coupons and why Boks needs to be fired, even mentioning that he was at the meeting just walking around.
This Monday (March 23) at 10:30, the Public Safety Committe will meet and WILL discuss the s/n coupon program. It's at City Hall and Zine has asked to get the word out about the mtg. If you have time and can attend - please do.
Boks has an appointment on Monday so he won't be at that meeting. I bet Bickhart will go.
Could you post the name of the attorney for the class action lawsuit? I know a few employees, volunteers, rescuers harassed by Boks who'd love to join the lawsuit. That guy just doesn't know when to stop. If you don't want to post it publicly, can you send it to Muzika? Then I'll just ask him. Thanks.
I don't know if people realize this but most of Boks actions are either criminal or they violate the personnel handbook. They are grounds for dismissal. Has anyone lodged a complaint there? Disobeying orders, harassing employees, threatening volunteers...
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