Brenda Barette with one of the homeless dogs at SHS (who got adopted into a wonderful home!)
ADL-LA is going to continue sending quotes (like the one below) from individuals who have worked along side Brenda Barnette. We are also going to ask you to do us and the animals a BIG FAVOR! The City Council (if they're smart) will approve the Mayor's choice for the new General Manager of LAAS; but just to make absolutely sure they do the ethical, moral and wise thing for the animals of LA as well as the tax payers who live here, we are BEGGING YOU ALL to call three council members for every post we send out. At the bottom of this post we have listed three councilmembers and in each of our future posts we will list three more for you to call (it's best to call and leave a message with the councilmember's aid or secretary) and tell them you support Brenda Barnette as the new GM for LAAS and want to make sure they vote YES at the approval hearing. In this way YOU will be a part of history in finally making the department of Los Angeles Animal Services a progressive, humane, compassionate and popular shelter system that is known by the entire city as well as cities beyond for being a beacon of light and life for homeless and lost animals.
Below is another quote about Barnette from the president of the Coalition for a No Kill King County, Clair Davis.
"As the CEO of the Seattle Humane Society, Brenda Barnette has overseen a transformation of that shelter from a "traditional" shelter that used to kill animals because they were too old, too ugly, or had been at the shelter too long, into a shelter where every healthy or treatable animal is guaranteed a home. Under her leadership, the Seattle Humane Society is taking in more animals, and adopting more animals, than ever before -- while the intake rates at the regressive county-run shelter have dropped sharply at the same time. Brenda has also overseen new programs to offer free spay/neuter to area pit bulls, instituted a new fund to provide medical care and treatment for cats, and expanded the foster care program to care for sick and underage animals.
At the same time, Brenda has been a staunch advocate for all the animals in King County, WA. For the past three years, animal advocates here have been waging a battle to reform King County Animal Care and Control, the regressive county shelter. I came to know Brenda Barnette after I formed the Coalition for a No Kill King County and worked alongside her on the King County Animal Care and Control Citizens' Advisory Committee. During the past year, I've continued to work with her in my position as the co-chair of KCACC Exposed, an organization dedicated exclusively to reforming county animal care and control. Since our advisory committee issued a report calling the conditions at KCACC "deplorable" in 2007, the county has brought in several experts who reiterated that conclusion, including Nathan Winograd, director of the No Kill Advocacy Center, and a team from the U.C. Davis Shelter Medicine Program. During the past three years, Brenda has worked tirelessly to help put pressure on county officials to reform KCACC, while simultaneously expanding the services offered by Seattle Humane Society to provide care for more of the county's animals, including thousands transferred to Seattle Humane Society from KCACC. Brenda has also joined me in working to defeat local legislation that would impose a breed ban on pit bulls, and to support legislation to make King County shelters No Kill, by mandating that the county shelters achieve at least an 85% save rate through the use of progressive programs.
As you well know, fighting for the animals is not always easy. At times, all of us who have dared to publicly challenge the deplorable conditions at KCACC have come under brutal attack from those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo -- often by means of anonymous blogs from people without the courage to use their names and stand behind their allegations. Unfortunately, these sorts of unfounded attacks, and the slow and arduous process of working for reform, have caused many people to give up the fight. But this adversity has never phased Brenda, who has always been willing to put herself on the line to stand up for the animals.
I was dismayed to see that at least one blogger in Los Angeles has already started to repeat the unfounded and inaccurate attacks that have circulated about Brenda here, because she dared to stand up for the animals against an entrenched bureaucracy. I would hope that the animal advocates of Los Angeles will realize that you are lucky to have Brenda as the new general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services. While she is a fine manager and diplomat, she is also a tough, tireless, and dedicated advocate -- which seems to be exactly what the animals of Los Angeles need.
At the same time, Brenda has been a staunch advocate for all the animals in King County, WA. For the past three years, animal advocates here have been waging a battle to reform King County Animal Care and Control, the regressive county shelter. I came to know Brenda Barnette after I formed the Coalition for a No Kill King County and worked alongside her on the King County Animal Care and Control Citizens' Advisory Committee. During the past year, I've continued to work with her in my position as the co-chair of KCACC Exposed, an organization dedicated exclusively to reforming county animal care and control. Since our advisory committee issued a report calling the conditions at KCACC "deplorable" in 2007, the county has brought in several experts who reiterated that conclusion, including Nathan Winograd, director of the No Kill Advocacy Center, and a team from the U.C. Davis Shelter Medicine Program. During the past three years, Brenda has worked tirelessly to help put pressure on county officials to reform KCACC, while simultaneously expanding the services offered by Seattle Humane Society to provide care for more of the county's animals, including thousands transferred to Seattle Humane Society from KCACC. Brenda has also joined me in working to defeat local legislation that would impose a breed ban on pit bulls, and to support legislation to make King County shelters No Kill, by mandating that the county shelters achieve at least an 85% save rate through the use of progressive programs.
As you well know, fighting for the animals is not always easy. At times, all of us who have dared to publicly challenge the deplorable conditions at KCACC have come under brutal attack from those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo -- often by means of anonymous blogs from people without the courage to use their names and stand behind their allegations. Unfortunately, these sorts of unfounded attacks, and the slow and arduous process of working for reform, have caused many people to give up the fight. But this adversity has never phased Brenda, who has always been willing to put herself on the line to stand up for the animals.
I was dismayed to see that at least one blogger in Los Angeles has already started to repeat the unfounded and inaccurate attacks that have circulated about Brenda here, because she dared to stand up for the animals against an entrenched bureaucracy. I would hope that the animal advocates of Los Angeles will realize that you are lucky to have Brenda as the new general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services. While she is a fine manager and diplomat, she is also a tough, tireless, and dedicated advocate -- which seems to be exactly what the animals of Los Angeles need.
Regarding the false and misleading rumors some bloggers are sending out about Brenda's not liking Pit Bulls, that's BULL shit (excuse my pun!) The Seattle Humane Society looks at the disposition of pit bulls. So long as they are not dangerous, they are placed. Homes are screened carefully to make sure they want a very athletic dog and that they understand who pit bulls are. If the Pit Bulls are unrehabilitative SHS places them in several sanctuaries in the area.
If you blog Brenda Barnette on this topic you will find that she has been an outspoken advocate for pit bulls. She has consistently opposed legislation that discriminates against the bully breeds. Here are some examples including a video of her with a huge pit bull on her lap for an interview."
How anyone cannot love and embrace this woman is beyond the comprehension of ADL-LA: She even goes on weekly local news shows to educate the public on all the GREAT dogs, cats and other animals they have for adoption. LAAS has NEVER done anything like that and it's one of the reasons why the public doesn't even know about LAAS and the incredible animals that are desperately waiting for loving homes.
I truly hope they're right. Their turn-about is unprecedented. I'm skeptical but that's me.
ReplyDeleteUntil the employees are brought under control, it doesn't matter who is the General Manager. If Barnette can't deal with this critical task any better than her predecessors, the results will be the same, regardless of her background.
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