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On February 7 and 8, 2007, I placed a lot of information about research into chemical or biological sterilization efforts around the world. Take a look at them.
At that Time, Judith Levy felt that $10,000,000 might clinch the deal of finding non-surgical and permanent chemical or biological sterilization of dogs and cats. This would be especially welcome to the world of feral cats and dogs, not only here, but around the world where they do mass "cullings" of dogs, rabbits and cats in often extremely brutal.
Gary may be opening that door.
I suggest FAF open a way for the public to help fund this research. I'll donate.
Found Animal Friends Website:
http://www.foundanimals.org/
This gives all the contact numbers and grant/prize info.
Gary, we love you. This is what we need, fundamental research and science.
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WOW! Gary Michelson to Fund Massive Sterilization Research Efforts
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Gary, please forgive me for all the nasty things I've said about you.
Pet contraception gets boost from billionaire
Posted by Deb Wood, special to The Oregonian October 16, 2008 15:18PM
Spay and neuter surgeries are currently the only form of contraception for cats and dogs. The result is too many unwanted pets being euthanized in shelters.
On September 30, I wrote a column about the Portland-based Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs and their efforts to find a non-surgical way to permanently sterilize cats and dogs.
Today, the organization announced that they have an important new partner. Billionaire inventor (and human doctor) Gary Michelson is promising a $25 million prize to anyone who comes up with a feasible dog and cat contraceptive. He's also offering grants totalling up to $50 million to encourage research in the area.
Michelson made his fortune inventing medical devices, mostly to help orthopedic surgeons like himself. He formed the nonprofit Found Animals Foundation in 2005 to use scientific and innovative thinking as part of the solution to pet overpopulation problems.
"Found Animals recognizes that the research required to develop and test novel approaches to pet sterilization will take time and money," said a press release that came out today from the Found Animals Foundation and the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs. They believe the $25 million Michelson Prize and the $50 million earmarked for research grants will initiate and maintain promising research in the field.
"Surgical spay/neuter procedures are just too expensive and inconvenient for many pet owners -- we need a better solution. We hope that the Michelson Prize and Grants in Reproductive Biology will encourage the best and brightest minds in science to take on the challenge of developing an innovative non-surgical sterilization product that will ultimately prevent death and suffering for millions of cats and dogs worldwide," said Aimee Gilbreath, the executive director of the Found Animals Foundation.
Gary, please forgive me for all the nasty things I've said about you.
Pet contraception gets boost from billionaire
Posted by Deb Wood, special to The Oregonian October 16, 2008 15:18PM
Spay and neuter surgeries are currently the only form of contraception for cats and dogs. The result is too many unwanted pets being euthanized in shelters.
On September 30, I wrote a column about the Portland-based Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs and their efforts to find a non-surgical way to permanently sterilize cats and dogs.
Today, the organization announced that they have an important new partner. Billionaire inventor (and human doctor) Gary Michelson is promising a $25 million prize to anyone who comes up with a feasible dog and cat contraceptive. He's also offering grants totalling up to $50 million to encourage research in the area.
Michelson made his fortune inventing medical devices, mostly to help orthopedic surgeons like himself. He formed the nonprofit Found Animals Foundation in 2005 to use scientific and innovative thinking as part of the solution to pet overpopulation problems.
"Found Animals recognizes that the research required to develop and test novel approaches to pet sterilization will take time and money," said a press release that came out today from the Found Animals Foundation and the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs. They believe the $25 million Michelson Prize and the $50 million earmarked for research grants will initiate and maintain promising research in the field.
"Surgical spay/neuter procedures are just too expensive and inconvenient for many pet owners -- we need a better solution. We hope that the Michelson Prize and Grants in Reproductive Biology will encourage the best and brightest minds in science to take on the challenge of developing an innovative non-surgical sterilization product that will ultimately prevent death and suffering for millions of cats and dogs worldwide," said Aimee Gilbreath, the executive director of the Found Animals Foundation.
WARNING-WEST VALLEY
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A colony manager at Vanalden and Nordhoff found a mom cat three days ago with her mouth sewn shut and her legs burned. She was rushed to a vet, but died there. She left 6 kittens. We are trying to trap them. They are maybe 4 months old. I have not seen the kittens.
The house where the mom was found with the kittens are located is 3 houses North of Nordhoff and the third house on the left. The house is empty and fenced off. Apparently there are "visitors" at night. Even with the big deflation in housing prices, these may still be million dollar homes.
One suspect is a woman, described only as white, walking with a cane. I doubt it.
There is a friendly homeless man, Jimmy, who stpos by at about midnight to observe the house and its surroundings. Jimmy is very thin and looks--I was told--Middle Eastern.
I too plan on checking this house nightly.
Perhaps some of you might want to check too.
This is at Vanalden, which is between Reseda and Wilber off Nordhoff. Turn North on Vanalden and it is the 3rd house on the left (West).
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A colony manager at Vanalden and Nordhoff found a mom cat three days ago with her mouth sewn shut and her legs burned. She was rushed to a vet, but died there. She left 6 kittens. We are trying to trap them. They are maybe 4 months old. I have not seen the kittens.
The house where the mom was found with the kittens are located is 3 houses North of Nordhoff and the third house on the left. The house is empty and fenced off. Apparently there are "visitors" at night. Even with the big deflation in housing prices, these may still be million dollar homes.
One suspect is a woman, described only as white, walking with a cane. I doubt it.
There is a friendly homeless man, Jimmy, who stpos by at about midnight to observe the house and its surroundings. Jimmy is very thin and looks--I was told--Middle Eastern.
I too plan on checking this house nightly.
Perhaps some of you might want to check too.
This is at Vanalden, which is between Reseda and Wilber off Nordhoff. Turn North on Vanalden and it is the 3rd house on the left (West).
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SEPTEMBER SLAUGHTER
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The September LAAS stats are out.
The number of cats and dogs killed for September 2008 versus September 2007 is 40% higher!!!!!
The number of kittens killed it is 43% higher.
http://laanimalservices.org/about_stats_dept.htm
Adoptions were up 20% and New Hope rescues were about the same.
DOA is up 55% compared to the same 12 month period which included 1/2 of Ed's first year here!
Cat and dog September impounds were up 24% over September 2007, and kill numbers were up 40%. LAAS does not do well even with small increases in impounds.
For all Other Animals, the kill numbers are up 61%. No time to be a gerbil now.
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The September LAAS stats are out.
The number of cats and dogs killed for September 2008 versus September 2007 is 40% higher!!!!!
The number of kittens killed it is 43% higher.
http://laanimalservices.org/about_stats_dept.htm
Adoptions were up 20% and New Hope rescues were about the same.
DOA is up 55% compared to the same 12 month period which included 1/2 of Ed's first year here!
Cat and dog September impounds were up 24% over September 2007, and kill numbers were up 40%. LAAS does not do well even with small increases in impounds.
For all Other Animals, the kill numbers are up 61%. No time to be a gerbil now.
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Marc Madow--All Charges Dropped; the Laws of Rome
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On October 8, 2008, Marc Madow went to trial at Superior Court in Van Nuys for violation of the City's kennel law 5150, having more than three cats without a kennel permit.
LAAS didn't show up. The charges were dropped. The case is over until next time.
The Mason and Madow cases demonstrate that many, many people have more than the legal limit of cats or dogs and are subject to search and seizure.
I do agree that individuals that that have too many cats indoors and out have a responsibility to take care of them. This means spaying and neutering of outdoor "ferals."
Unfortunately, many such people get over their head and the animals suffer.
LAAS and the ACTF have only two ways of responding: visiting and giving citations in the form of orders for compliance of the three cat/dog law, or
searching, seizing and killing.
With the latter approach they seize, keep them in Evidence Animal isolation where they will not be seen or adopted, and then killed.
The owner/colony manager have no rights or defense against neighbor complaints or City assaults--none. They are only "protected" by LAAS ignoring the situation by fair minded field personnel.
Outdoor colony managers of colonies not attached to the manager's property are always at risk of neighbor complaint. AND, in many cases are not able to protect or take care of ill or injured animals because they cannot trap them in neighborhoods where residents are semi-hostile towards the cats and managers.
When in Santa Monica I was threatened with death by a resident that lived across the street and half a block away. I have never managed a colony except along the bluffs in Santa Monica where someone was not complaining.
To legalize TNR does not grant the manager from neighbor retribution or freedom from City action.
I am also quite convince that TNR and universal S/N has that much effect on feral cat populations, owner turn-ins, field impounds or resident submitted impounds.
If you look at the impound stats for cats over the past seven years, despite ever increasing spay/neuter efforts by rescue and S/N organizations, the number of cats impounded is absolutely the same as seven years ago:
http://laanimalservices.org/PDF/reports/CatIntakeNOutcomes.pdf
Seven years ago the number of cats impounded was 21,201; this year it is 22,720, an increase of 7% over 2001-2002.
This is despite ever increasing spay/neuter certificates handed out by the City: 38,000 in 2005, and 54,000 over the past 12 months, a 30% increase. That is, while spay/neuter certificates have dramatically increased, impounds have increased or stayed the same over the past seven years.
S/N proponents, unwilling to see the consequences, want to do more of the same, hoping more of the same will yield a solution.
Part of the problem is that we do not know the magnitude of the problem. We don't have the information although LAAS does have much of the info, they are not releasing it.
Some information we would need to know is the total housed cat/dog population in the City. "Official" estimates range between 400,000 and 700,000, which means about one cat in every 3.4 households.
Also, by "expert" opinion, about 5% of these housed animals lose their homes and become part of the outdoor population. This is approximately 30,000 a year. We don't know how many of that population has been sterilized although animal services would note sterile animals on impound; therefore, they would have some handle on that number.
We have no idea how many unhoused cats and feral cats live in the streets, parks, school and college campuses exist. Assuming the same number but a lower sterilization rate, there may be as many as another 240,000 non-sterilized cats on the streets.
If this is an accurate number, according to Animal Birth Control estimates, 175,000 street animals would need to be S/N a year, before we can begin to reduce the feral population and LAAS car impounds.
Clinico pledges to do 8 X 3,500 S/N surgeries a year in the LA area. Id do not know how many of these will be in the City proper. But if it is 4, then they will S/N 14,000 in LA itself, just a drop in the bucket.
I do not see ANY solution until veterinarian researchers develop an effective sterilization "vaccine" or Chemical agent sterilization, and we pass a law similar to the Roman law about cats.
Currently in Rome, a cat has a right to live in peace wherever it is born. It has as much right as property owners and they are protected legally. Of course many property owners will kill ferals anyway despite protection, but such legal protection, I believe, will beget a deeper acceptance of ferals and their right to live.
In Rome, the City helps colony managers by helping colony managers by providing on-site veterinarian care and S/N services.
That is, the legal and prevailing public attitude about feral cats is much different from LA's.
This is far different from the attitude of those who now protect and manage colonies. The present attitude is purely defensive while in Rome it is not even proactive as they see it not so much as a problem that has to be solved, but of maintaining the status quo. The attitude towards animals in the United States is quite barbaric still.
.
.
On October 8, 2008, Marc Madow went to trial at Superior Court in Van Nuys for violation of the City's kennel law 5150, having more than three cats without a kennel permit.
LAAS didn't show up. The charges were dropped. The case is over until next time.
The Mason and Madow cases demonstrate that many, many people have more than the legal limit of cats or dogs and are subject to search and seizure.
I do agree that individuals that that have too many cats indoors and out have a responsibility to take care of them. This means spaying and neutering of outdoor "ferals."
Unfortunately, many such people get over their head and the animals suffer.
LAAS and the ACTF have only two ways of responding: visiting and giving citations in the form of orders for compliance of the three cat/dog law, or
searching, seizing and killing.
With the latter approach they seize, keep them in Evidence Animal isolation where they will not be seen or adopted, and then killed.
The owner/colony manager have no rights or defense against neighbor complaints or City assaults--none. They are only "protected" by LAAS ignoring the situation by fair minded field personnel.
Outdoor colony managers of colonies not attached to the manager's property are always at risk of neighbor complaint. AND, in many cases are not able to protect or take care of ill or injured animals because they cannot trap them in neighborhoods where residents are semi-hostile towards the cats and managers.
When in Santa Monica I was threatened with death by a resident that lived across the street and half a block away. I have never managed a colony except along the bluffs in Santa Monica where someone was not complaining.
To legalize TNR does not grant the manager from neighbor retribution or freedom from City action.
I am also quite convince that TNR and universal S/N has that much effect on feral cat populations, owner turn-ins, field impounds or resident submitted impounds.
If you look at the impound stats for cats over the past seven years, despite ever increasing spay/neuter efforts by rescue and S/N organizations, the number of cats impounded is absolutely the same as seven years ago:
http://laanimalservices.org/PDF/reports/CatIntakeNOutcomes.pdf
Seven years ago the number of cats impounded was 21,201; this year it is 22,720, an increase of 7% over 2001-2002.
This is despite ever increasing spay/neuter certificates handed out by the City: 38,000 in 2005, and 54,000 over the past 12 months, a 30% increase. That is, while spay/neuter certificates have dramatically increased, impounds have increased or stayed the same over the past seven years.
S/N proponents, unwilling to see the consequences, want to do more of the same, hoping more of the same will yield a solution.
Part of the problem is that we do not know the magnitude of the problem. We don't have the information although LAAS does have much of the info, they are not releasing it.
Some information we would need to know is the total housed cat/dog population in the City. "Official" estimates range between 400,000 and 700,000, which means about one cat in every 3.4 households.
Also, by "expert" opinion, about 5% of these housed animals lose their homes and become part of the outdoor population. This is approximately 30,000 a year. We don't know how many of that population has been sterilized although animal services would note sterile animals on impound; therefore, they would have some handle on that number.
We have no idea how many unhoused cats and feral cats live in the streets, parks, school and college campuses exist. Assuming the same number but a lower sterilization rate, there may be as many as another 240,000 non-sterilized cats on the streets.
If this is an accurate number, according to Animal Birth Control estimates, 175,000 street animals would need to be S/N a year, before we can begin to reduce the feral population and LAAS car impounds.
Clinico pledges to do 8 X 3,500 S/N surgeries a year in the LA area. Id do not know how many of these will be in the City proper. But if it is 4, then they will S/N 14,000 in LA itself, just a drop in the bucket.
I do not see ANY solution until veterinarian researchers develop an effective sterilization "vaccine" or Chemical agent sterilization, and we pass a law similar to the Roman law about cats.
Currently in Rome, a cat has a right to live in peace wherever it is born. It has as much right as property owners and they are protected legally. Of course many property owners will kill ferals anyway despite protection, but such legal protection, I believe, will beget a deeper acceptance of ferals and their right to live.
In Rome, the City helps colony managers by helping colony managers by providing on-site veterinarian care and S/N services.
That is, the legal and prevailing public attitude about feral cats is much different from LA's.
This is far different from the attitude of those who now protect and manage colonies. The present attitude is purely defensive while in Rome it is not even proactive as they see it not so much as a problem that has to be solved, but of maintaining the status quo. The attitude towards animals in the United States is quite barbaric still.
.
.
UCLA Law Faculty Blasts AB 2296
UCLA Daily Bruin
Laws should protect animals
Assembly Bill 2296’s punishment of speech may lead activists to more violence to make their voices heard
Dan Kapelovitz, Jill Ryther and Jaimie Bryant
Laws should protect animals
Assembly Bill 2296’s punishment of speech may lead activists to more violence to make their voices heard
Dan Kapelovitz, Jill Ryther and Jaimie Bryant
Published: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Members of the campus community recently received an e-mail from UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block extolling the virtues of Assembly Bill 2296, a new law that restricts the speech of animal-rights activists (whom he calls “anti-animal research extremists”) in order to protect animal researchers. As this law moved toward passage, much was said about the fear animal researchers feel when confronted by protestors. By contrast, few have commented on the pain and terror experienced by animals used in experiments or have explained why there is protest against animal research at UCLA and other institutions in the first place.
Every day at places like UCLA, animals are subjected to excruciating, unrelieved pain as involuntary subjects in research experiments that have not been described or justified to the public. Researchers and the heads of experiments hide behind unsupported general claims that such research is necessary and productive for human health, but they offer no information by which the public can assess their claims as to specific experiments.
Therefore, the public has no information about the research that is being done or whether, in fact, any of it has led to or has the potential to lead to worthwhile advancements. Researchers and the heads of institutions like UCLA reject calls for transparency about the animal research that is conducted.
Because of the way research applications are reviewed and funded, it is highly likely that research dollars are wasted on useless animal testing and experiments. Funding might well have been more productively invested in research methods that bear actual fruit in advancing human health.
Animal researchers like to further argue that they are in complete compliance with state anticruelty statutes and federal laws that regulate scientific research on animals. However, as legally interpreted, neither state nor federal laws provide any protection to animals tortured at institutions like UCLA.
State anticruelty statutes define “cruel” as only the infliction of “unnecessary” suffering on animals. Scientific research is arbitrarily defined as “necessary,” which means that the infliction of even the most horrific suffering on animals falls outside the legal boundaries of the “anticruelty” statutes.
Federal law is no different. The Animal Welfare Act purports to regulate scientific research, yet the AWA covers only a very small minority of the animals used in research and explicitly states that none of its provisions can be used to impede or affect research design or implementation. The AWA does not prevent the infliction of horrific suffering on animals; it only creates paperwork for research scientists who need to provide minimal justifications for their unwillingness to provide pain relief or consider alternatives to animal-based research or testing.
Chancellor Block, a former animal researcher himself, praises AB 2296 for providing new protections for animal researchers, but animal researchers already have complete legal protection from violent conduct. That is why we believe that a primary purpose of the new law is to intimidate peaceful protestors; the first versions of the law were even more expansive in curtailing their speech. Even though AB 2296 was reduced in scope before it was enacted, it still punishes speech.
Given the history of law enforcement reactions to animal advocacy protests, we believe that such a law is likely to be abused by law enforcement officials who use their authority to intimidate peaceful animal activists into silence. It is animals – and the people who care about them – who are not sufficiently protected by existing laws.
Unfortunately, laws like this – whose focus is the speech of protestors – may actually increase violent acts against researchers rather than diminish them. When lawful speech is stifled by expansive use of such laws to intimidate protestors, activists concerned about imminent and ongoing violence against animals may feel the need to resort to methods other than speech to have their voices heard. That tragedy could be avoided with more transparency and more public debate about whether the extreme pain inflicted on animals is justified.
Dan Kapelovitz is President of the Animal Law Society at the UCLA School of Law. Ryther is the Communications Director of the Animal Law Society at the UCLA School of Law. Bryant is Professor of Law, Faculty Adviser to the Animal Law Society at the UCLA School of Law.
Mason Sues City
Click to enlarge
Ron Mason was never able to get a lawyer to do a lawsuit regarding defamation of character, libel, breach of civil liberties and violation of various legal protocols. Apparently what happened to Mason happens all the time and unless you have money, they will not take the case on a contingency basis.
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However, Mason did lose 25-30 cats by being killed after seizure. He lost several carriers and humane traps, medications, etc., as well as lost time off work.
.Therefore, with the help of a friend, he filed a Small Claims Court.
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GOING, GOING....PART 3
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There is an amazing rumor that Lloyd Levine will replace Boks.
Is Mayor Tony so daft as to make this so? Sure, Lloyd is a friend of activists, but is that what we need?
No, we need a national search--a very, very transparent search.
I have already been canvassing various shelter directors for suggestions as to who would fit the bill. I have found several who might commit to being part of the selection process, including Bonnie Brown from Reno, a Winograd protege, and Carl Friedman, former head of the San Francisco municipal shelter, who brought the live save rate up to 82%, and alone with the SFSPCA, brought the live save rate up to 87%.
Also volunteering would be Barry Evans, former head of the Sonoma County shelter system.
No specific names have been mentioned yet.
But jeez, without a search and vetting, I can guarantee the next autocratically appointed GM will be a worse performer than Boks.
When everyone has a say in the choice and the "best" candidate is appointed, there is a greater chance of an across the board cooperation.
In the meantime, I would not put it past Mayor Tony to deliberately choose the worst candidate just to get back at us.
I would assume that Zine and Cardenas would have some input into forcing Mayor Tony into a national search. We need to demand a search. Hell, I don't want to have to run this blog for another two years.
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There is an amazing rumor that Lloyd Levine will replace Boks.
Is Mayor Tony so daft as to make this so? Sure, Lloyd is a friend of activists, but is that what we need?
No, we need a national search--a very, very transparent search.
I have already been canvassing various shelter directors for suggestions as to who would fit the bill. I have found several who might commit to being part of the selection process, including Bonnie Brown from Reno, a Winograd protege, and Carl Friedman, former head of the San Francisco municipal shelter, who brought the live save rate up to 82%, and alone with the SFSPCA, brought the live save rate up to 87%.
Also volunteering would be Barry Evans, former head of the Sonoma County shelter system.
No specific names have been mentioned yet.
But jeez, without a search and vetting, I can guarantee the next autocratically appointed GM will be a worse performer than Boks.
When everyone has a say in the choice and the "best" candidate is appointed, there is a greater chance of an across the board cooperation.
In the meantime, I would not put it past Mayor Tony to deliberately choose the worst candidate just to get back at us.
I would assume that Zine and Cardenas would have some input into forcing Mayor Tony into a national search. We need to demand a search. Hell, I don't want to have to run this blog for another two years.
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COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF THE ZINE MEETING
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Personnel Meeting
Started at 6:42 p.m.
Councilmembers Zine, Cardenas, present, Parks, Absent
Boks Also Absent.
Zine: There is only one item on the agenda. There are a number of representatives from animal services, commissioners, union, public. We will hear from all. We did the evening meeting so employees and public could attend. This Committee will not take any action as an unfair labor practice is pending. We have no jurisdiction. It's all up to mayor. We have no power to direct, only the commission and mayor have the power. Please, don't use name of employees. I came forward to set up this meting.
How many have attended council meeting?
How many not?
Okay, Sergeant at arms makes sure the meeting is orderly. Let's be professional. It will be videotaped for channel 35 for a later broadcast.
I see representation from the union. Let's begin with them, then dept employees then public. Please, fill out a speaker card.
Julie Butcher, seiu local 721, Thanks for taking the time, thanks from the union and the animals we serve. These are workers of animal services. This was not our first stop with these discussions. We've raised concerns before. We have specific proposals. We support new spayneuter ordinance. We need more folks knocking on doors, more mobile spay, need to license more animals, reach out to vommunities, messages in multiple languages, reuinite more, adopt out more.
Needs of animals not being served by current management. We tried to work with the dept, dept mgmt, to no avail.
Zine: Please, explain.
Julie: We presented you with incredible detail on every effort we made. We recognize courage of workers for standing up, never seen retaliation like this before from this mgmt.
Zine: I spent 33 years with lapd, retired 2001. I'm concerned about city employees. I'm against any retaliation. I want to know about any retaliation personally. There will be no retaliation against anyone who testifies in this hearing. We will intercede.
It's illegal to retaliate. I won't tolerate it.
I know after last meeting the GM visited certain facilities. You asked for union protection. We are responsible for 40,000 employees.
Union leader Victor Gordo: Thanks. First we are not happy to be here. We tried to work with mgmt of this dept as individual unions and collectively. We've met with him, not withstanding his communication (saying we didn't).
There is now an unfair labor practice charge pending with employee relations board filed after city council meeting. You will see specific examples of retaliation.
It started back in march 2008 when we tried to work with gm, then with the mayors office. The gm acknowledges that he received names from mayors office and acted upon it. It's startling to see it in
writing. The charge itself is 7-8 pages, attachments back up unfair labor practices and retaliation. This is unprecedented for this many members to stand up, to say we've had it, together with animal rights community. We can't bear to watch animals being treated this way by mgmt policies and procedures. We've been treated poorly, residents aren't getting services paid for and entitled to. We ask that you take an interest on behalf of animals, employees and constituents.
These are dept wide concerns, concerned equally with animal rights, employee safety. Animal welfare at stake here. I've worked with 9 gms, never been this united (against one).
Resources are an issue, not resources, it's deployment of existing resources. It's alarming only one enforcement officer for 1M people. The enforcment unit disbanded so fewer anmals would be collected from the street, just so he can say we're nokill, fewer animals picked up, fewer to deal with. Who suffers?; animals and public. It's not acceptable. Warehousing is not acceptable.
Dog runs made for 1-2 dogs. They put 7 in the runs. Dog fights,employees have to break up the fights.
Misleading data handed to you. We want more than just PR. All we've gotten is poor judgement and retaliation. In the letter sent to you by gm said only small group of people dislike Boks. You saw at council that is not the case. It's dept wide. His Sept 9 letter said we didn't try to work with him. That's incorrect, misleading.
In boks own emails it shows that we tried to resolve these issues with him. I question the veracity of his statements and data given to council. We're tired of mismanagement , poor judgement, misleading data. He is not responsive to you, poor services, endangerment of animals. They are all an equal danger to public safety. We have mgmt team who is not leading and employees can't follow. Please, take it seriously. We are frustated, cannot follow someone who isn't leading.
Zine: i got a leltter today from boks, said he can't attend the meeting, wants to discuss action plan. He said he will meet with union and mayor 0ct 9. Will you be a part of that meeting?
Victor: Yes, mayors office asked to meet. We had previous meetings with the mayors office which resulted in retaliation.
Zine. Was that meeting called as result of this meeting?
Victor: Yes
Zine: The mayor is the man who hires gms. The Mayor can terminate, then gm can come to city council to try to get job back. Mayor hires, fires, we only confirm.
Zine: Contact my office if there are any results of that meeting. Did you talk to (animal services) commission?
Victor: We have attended meetings.
Julie: We were at commission. Their role is unclear. Commissioners are here tonight. There's no one on the planet that these workers haven not talked to (laughter, applause).
Keith Kramer: Captain,sen aco 2, (hands over documents), 24 years with dept, boardmember of la chapter of labor international union, 777.
In my 24 years during several gms, the only thing that remains the same is change. Never before has dept mgmt and employees been so deeply divided. Please, read through the materials, call if you have questions. We are representing half of the dept employees against Boks.If it fails, our stressful working environment will get worse.
We will lose employees. They will quit because of boks.
Cardenas: Who do you represent?
Kramer: Law enforcmenet, field operations, ACOs, Sen ACOs, WV animal shelter, all under my authority, ACTs, clerical.I also work with medical staff, RVTs, vets.
Zine: What is the organization of command?
Kramer: gm, 2 agms, direct field operations 2, then captains. acts are lowest
(a joke). Volunteers are not lowest (laughter).
Zine: Where did the agms come from? Work way up the ranks?
Kramer: One came from Dallas, other came from Parks Dept.
Glen Brown: I've been a commissioner since 2005, President since August 11.
My folks noticed this problem in the paper. No one brought this to us. (Actually, employees, volunteers, rescuers have been emailing, calling all the commissioners about this for over two years). We don't handle personnel issues. I invite employees and mgmt to try to work this out.
These are turbulent times. We try to be even handed. I do investigation work. I don't accept statements on face value. I visit the clinics, uh, I mean the shelters. I spoke with gm and mayors office looking for money for jobs. This should have come to our dept first, maybe the system could have worked. I invite all employees, staff, come back to try to work it out. We are not a rubber stamp for anybody.
We didn't know about this until saw in the paper. (I really doubt that statement. Everyone has known about these problems for years
now).
Zine: The commission was unaware of dissatisfaction in dept?
Brown: I heard comments, didn't know it was on a mass basis, a movement. No one came to commision to tell us. The last time in 2005 there was a mass show of support for last GM. We are ready to handle problem.
Zine: Union, employees never came to comm to voice concerns?
Brown: Never came before us.
Zine: Does comm do valuations on gm?
Brown: We don't, it's the mayor's job. We ask boks to report to us, about data, but haven't launched an inquiry into that data. A lot of things need to be probed. We lost a lieutenant to county because of this. We can talk about it, work it out.
Zine: Is the gm responsive to commission? (employees laugh) Polices should go through commission. Is gm responsive to direction?
Brown: He sometimes is though not immediately, same with prior gm. You have to probe.
Zine: What about the nokill policy
Brown: We've had a discussion on what those numbers mean. Numbers may not be what they appear to be, need to probe differently. I'm interested in animal cruelty, homeland security. Animal activists were determined to be number one terrorist group in america. I'm trying to get homeland security funds to use against them.
Cardenas: Are you here as an individual or commissioner?
Brown: I'm here as commission president and individual
Cardenas: Are you speaking on behalf of commission?
Brown: Yes. (No, he's speaking only as himself. He doesn't understand the
question or law involved)
Cardenas: You go to shelters, you hear complaints? what do you do with them?
Brown: I've been gathering them, last six months
Cardenas: Why do you visit shelters?
Brown: To see what is going on, get a feel, and to shake hands, let them know that I'm there.
Cardenas: When they give you information, what should you do with it?
Brown: I have conversations about bad kennel design. It's tough to shovel waste Jacob Miller: I'm here to explain how he runs this, intimidation, act of compelling by threats, act of getting revenge. At all hands meetings he keeps employees in separate groups, we gave suggestions, were brushed aside, not direction we wanted to go, direction not clearly laid out. We were told to tell public we're becoming nokill, when we are low kill. An employee was shot down in front of over 100 employees, it continued. Boks said anyone not working toward poorly defined goals, he'll help him get a new job(fired). Divide and conquer. We are not allowed to question his way.
After the city council meeting, all supervisors were asked who worked to compare to people at council meeting. Employees can't attend meeting
on city time. After council meeting on 9/11 Boks went at 6 a.m. to talk to employees with no supervisors present at the shelter.
Boks returned with three citizens to question employees, found a supervisor, He let the citizens interrogate the supervisor. The gm defended citizens only, supervisor couldn't research any records, supervisor was degraded and bullied, forced her to pull up computer records, interrogated for over an hour.
Boks said she must comply as he is the gm. He wrote letter to city council saying we were complaining, he says my way or the hiway. He's made threats against us with threats. It's a hostile work environment, thanks.
Zine: How long with city?
Jacob: My life. 7 years as ACT,
Zine: How often all hands on deck meeting?
Jacob: Not recently probably because he can't answer questions. He couldn't tell us the difference between nokill and lokill. We were told to sit down, sit down, never answered.
Zine: Nokill, lokill, some animals are sick, injured. I discussed with gm. Are all euthanasias reported and included in the numbers? Or only adoptable animals that are euthanized?
Jacob: I don't control numbers. Boks is cooking the books. Animal classified one way when should be another way.
Zine: The account published, does it exclude ill, not adoptable animals?
Cardenas: When did all hands meetings start?
Jacob: Day one when Boks started. The front line employees, those in background, middle managers are wonderful people. The only people who show up to those meetings were front line employees, acts, vts, clerical, acos.
They are required to show up, at friendship park, 100 plus people attended meeting, conducted by Boks.
The purpose of meeting was because we would undergo radical change,
restructure, going nokill. He had cameras, independent filmers, filming his big show, after two meetings they stopped following him around (Someone was going to do a documentary of Boks making LA nokill. They realized they were wasting their time and stopped the move. People are concerned about ideas and messages, mission, values, logo.Why did we need new mission statement?
(Boks took the mission statement directly from New York) If we remembered the mission statement, we'd get a candy bar, i got one word wrong, no candy bar. He was patrionizing.
Cardenas: Patrionizing not against the law in this country. What was wrong?
Jacob: We never got any answers
Cardenas: Give specific example
Jacob: Lo kill and nokill. Why are we telling public we're going to nokill, why not lokill. Boks told the person who asked the question to sit down. Nokill by his definition means we will be killing some for behavior, medical, space. We felt it was a lie.
Zine: Is there a policy manual for dept? nokill, lokill.
Jacob: We haven't had a dept manual for years. We used to have hard copy and on intranet. There currently is no policy manual. Only two AGMs have policy manual. Ed boks doesn't give us tools or materials to get info out to employees. We didn't know if we could wear uniforms today. Can't make heads or tails, no manual. No clear policy. We have one 2002 copy of manual. No updates, no CD, or VHS, beta, dvd.
New programs are very confusing like bottle baby foster, new hope
Linda Gordon: 31 yrs, ACO, college degree, admin, senior mgmt analyst two. I sit in a corner somewhere, no one talks to me, if I die hopefully the cleaning crew will find me and haul me out,
Zine: Were you ostracized? Why in cubby hole?
Gordon: It's a passion in the dept. We are family here, all together, not just a job. My son works for dept, husband and son here to support me today. Commission stated they did not want to have anything to do with listening to employees.
Brown was on commission at that time. Commission divided on this issue. Mayor told commissioners not to be here tonight, other commissioner, president brown does not speak on behalf of the commission, we are willing and able to do the job that needs to be done, however, unable to do that because Boks not doing a service to or for city of LA. We are here because we went to mayor. Boks has failed. More than half employees are here. How can he expect us to move forward if we have no
confidence or trust in GM.
We worked with previous GMs. We are tough, committed to animals. We don't need a GM who can't tell truth to council. He's lied to you,
employees, public, need one with integrity, truthful. He can't see suffering of warehoused pets. We don't need a gm that if we want to know what's happening he tells us to read his blog. He sent email telling employees to read his blog if they want to know what's going on. He sees law enforcmenet as a burden, such as
licensing.
He thinks only about public relations, writing on his blog and photo ops.
He blames his inability to lead on his staff/ We meed a GM who will lead by example. Boks renames programs, claims them as his own. He degrades, intimidates and blames employees. We need one who instills pride. We would settle for a gm that after 2.5 years at least knows our names.
Lack of leadership, atmosphere of fear and intimidation on a daily basis, thank you.
Zine: You do what?
Gordon: Strategic planning the ten steps to nokill. I'm putting action behind words. Boks made nokill our policy first few months but he gave no tools, means, methods to accomplish it. He just "said" we are nokill. He did nothing, no adoption programs.
No pet retention programs, all of the things we need.
Zine: When were you put on strategic plan detail?
Gordon: Feb 2008.
Zine: Two years after he decides to make actual nokill policy? Hmmm. What is your opinion of this gm verses others?
Gordon: i worked closely with each one since 1977. Overall there is no trust in Boks. He denies he said things or was even in a meeting even with 40 witnesses,
Zine: Is there a policy manual?
Gordon: Boks sent memo saying we have no procedure manual. We get info from email or blog.
Harbor has no clue what people at WLA are doing.
Diliberto: 18 years, 17 with dept, was commander, served under Boks for one year.
I keep in touch with employees. I'm now with lapd. Morale at lowest ever. Ive seen 9 GMs.
There is no leadership now, he rarely visited shelters, unless for self serving reason. He didn't care to know employees, didn't want to know them, focused on himself, getting personal publicity. When I went on workers comp, you'd think he'd call me, ask me how I was. I was on animal directors association.
The day after I went on leave he contacted pres of board asking to replace me. The pres called me in shock, she said no, he was not nominated. He's still trying to get on that board and no one has nominated him/ Boks wanted the position. He's not on that board. I went out on stress leave.
Cardenas: Would you be disqualified by your leave?
Diliberto: No. On board two years, VP.
Cardenas: Boks contacted third party and asked how they could create vacancy at your expense?
Diliberto: Yes. At staff meetings, he had his mind made up ahead of time. He'd say I want to do this, what do you think? Even if we said it was a bad idea, he'd do it anyway. He asked us to rubber stamp.
If program failed, he'd blame it on someone else or he'd say "if you knew it was wrong, why didn't you fight we harder to keep me from doing it?" We stopped giving him advice because he wouldn't take it. He wouldn't do what was right. He wanted to change the website.
He wanted to hire someone associated with, don't want to say it publicly but, connections with various animal rights groups Staff did not like her. We said it's a bad idea, staff hates her, he did it anyway. Website had all white people, there was a big to do. It was changed completely again. He said this woman will have complete authority over this website, she can put on it whatever she wanted. He said that's the way it's going to be, then the whole thing blew up, then he denied he said that.
Then he said why didn't you tell me I was saying something that was crazy? I said you weren't listening.
Cardenas: Did boks ever discuss hooters incident?
Diliberto: I was there for that. He presented as a done deal. Boks said hooters was a good idea, already had flyer done, just said we're going to do it. I was going through personal issues, work related, shutting down. Things he claims as successes were things that were already in place
before he got here, or things we already worked on, people weren't given credit when due. Boks is focused on himself and his accomplishments.
I worked on opening of shelters. I didn't even get an invitation when I spent 5-7 years planning them. Good employees have left dept and gone to la county, county recognizes these are great workers.
Zine: Employees please, stand, thanks
Diliberto: Boks never had my back. Stuckey always had my back. You can restore hope to animals.
Zine: We have no authority/. We will submit report to mayors office.
Questions, hooters, pitbulls? were you around? He was at council with the academy without approval.
Diliberto: It was discussed but never officially approved.
Zine: Some have access to firearms. Is there a policy for use? What report is made if its utilized?
Diliberto: There is a manual about firearms on animals. We only use on animals.
There is a form, when I was there, every time gun used, reviewed by supersivor
and signed. 38 caliber revolvers, shotguns, 12 gauge,
Zine: 30 people want to speak. Limit to five minutes, want new info only, personal
knowledge. Only taking testimony from those coming forward. Emails will be placed
in the file. We don't give credit to anonymous or ficticious info.
Commissioner atake: 2005 to 2007. I asked Boks to provide commission copy of
policy manual. Brown said nobody brought issues to commission, farthest from
truth. You need to evaluate commission as well. Look at minutes. I brought those
issues up during my tenure, but i was dismissed. I was told to shut up or else, so I
resigned. Blackman told me to shut up or else. Read my resignation letter, things
are the same if not worse. Many could not come tonight, afraid of retaliation, I
resigned because I couldn't be involved with demoralization.
Commissioner Laura Beth: I have couple of binders of documents. Tonight is
unprecedented, employees and activists united because there are serious
problems. It makes our city look bad. I have examples. The problem is lack of
business like strategy. We have a eries of programs, old programs with new
names, new programs that have no operation. New Hope is the old adoption
partner program. There has been no increase in rescue adoptions. Felix, info on a
web page, no operations. STAR program, get donations to use on animals with
extreme medical needs, only one animal helped. They told me its just a marketing
term only. New mission shelter sitting unused, clinics, none are operating, Boks
and Barth told to reject clinico, shows lack of understanding, we need surgeries,
fortunately commission passed it. Hooters, pitbull academy, endorsing candidates
on blogs, where does he get time to do all that blogging, misstatements to public,
during nokill month he killed 600 animal, said 95% nokill when euth is up 37%,
audits are embarrassment,
Zine: Manual for employees? ever discussed?
Laura Beth: I can't answer, didn't go to meetings after a while. 2002, 2003. there is
no manual, instructions, rules.
Zine: Animals put to sleep, accurate? is Boks excluding some from the count?
Laura: Impossible to answer, not in euth rooms counting. I look at stats, there is
deception in categorizing animals, 95% on way to nokill, we kill thousands more,
Zine: Animals that are sick, behavior problems, not included in euth figures?
Laura: Stats are separate, can't say inaccurate, those numbers are manipulated for
media, statements to you and to mayor. That is how we come up with kind of
statements like we are 95% nokill, stats being spun, numbers online probably
accurate
William Transell: In Boks letter to council, he said only small group disliked him,
30/32 supersivors, that's not a small group, all but two, 98%. We have been
attacked by animal rights terrorists. How effective can we be when we've cast our
vote of no confidence
Mirabelle Martinez: Officer Dancy wrote this speech,she couldn't come so I will be
saying it. "I'm one of 32 ACOs, Boks, Barth, Davis, all they have done is play a
numbers game, animals in our care in dangerous conditions. Boks said he'd make
the city nokill in five years, instead 37% increase in euth. He put a moratorium on
behavior related euth, why? He's flip flopped between warehousing to avoid euth
and euth to avoid warehousing. We euth only for behavior or medical, never for
time or space, just a number games. It doesn't help animals get out alive, but does
stroke the ego of ed boks. These games diminish quality of life for animals and
employees. Boks hoards and warehouses, shelters overcrowded, cramped, It's a
ticking timb bomb. He's on fast downward spiral out of control, 9/11 he and Davis
and Capt DeDeaux are only ones qualified if animal has behavior problem and can
be euth. It's an utterly ridiculous and pompous statement. Davis and Boks aren't
behavioral experts. They don't deal with animals , except cute cuddly ones for
photo ops,
Patricia Ott: 15 years, supervisor, EV shelter. I've never been to a comm meeting to
complain because of fear. Sometimes commission isn't fair, especially if Boks is
there. I don't want to get fired, no manual available, he tells the public that we're
wrong, demoralizing, no clear direction, plus one, minus one, we can't go over goal
or face reprimand, then he says it's only a tool, what if we get sick aniamls? hooters
for neuters, I was offended, flyer was in the shelter woman in bikini, working cats
program, Boks told me to, take feral cats and get acclimated to lapd stations. I told
him we can't support that, we can't have more than three animals at any address,
it's illegal,then he pulls me off of it. Myself and other acts, we do our own gardening,
because not in the budget, we are graded on appearance of shelter, how can we
do 95% nokill when we killed 100 kittens in a month? if we had spayneuter,
wouldn't have to do that.
Zine: We had this meeting at 6:30 so no duty schedule conflict. If you're on duty,
please fill out form....
Kathy Moony: aco, 29 years, I take care of database chameleon, statistics, numbers
are accurate but the interpretation of those numbers, maybe not. Nokill, it's an
impossibility, obviously, nokill numbers exclude animals sick, injured, behavior
unsuited, if you take them out, that's what he's using, no one can be nokill unless
they don't accept all animals that come in the door,
Zine: 100 dogs, 50 sick, injured, behv...then 50 adoptable. I had a personal
meeting with Boks months ago. I asked that question, all animals are included
when numbers are reported,
Zine: Who makes euth decision, those numbers are published? sick, injured..?
what is honest truth?when did you do all the numbers?
Kathy: 2-3 years.
Cardenas: Are you aware of any discrepencies not adding up?
Kathy: Raw numbers are accurate or very close.
Cardenas: I was at pr conference this morning. Boks said 15,000 euth'd. euth was
double before he got here, right? (Before he got here 19,000 cats/dogs killed, then
15,000 now we're back at 17,000)
Kathy: We are warehousing more animals. Makes big diff. Boks made decision to
change categories. I've been punished already, I work with Barth. She took action
against me, uncalled for, I feel I cut my own throat by coming up here, because of
what they've done to me, i'll be retiring early in five months. I can't stay now.
Daniel: Divide and conquer. Evaluations, i have no say in evaluations of my
underlings, only a supervisor who does not see them all the time like me. We have
no evacuation plan, 72 dogs in 14 kennels, Boks told him to keep them for 45 days,
plus one, minus one, not a tool, a monopoly of numbers, I've been retaliated
against, we should have 1 animal per cage, maybe 2, I have 126 dogs, 164 cats.
Pan Anna: Captain, grievance, situation, there was a reclassification of assignment,
Boks didn't respond, went to arbitration, we won our case, nothing was done, had
to go to superior court to enforce it. At the end of hands all meeting Boks said
everything kept confidential in this room. Later I overheard him say, gee we should
have tape recorded this one.
Zine: Anyone with anything positive to say about Boks?
Rita Gorman: Boks has brought us all together, very close.
Zine: Other than that. I want to make sure we had a fair hearing.
Rita Gorman: I got the job then had fear of losing it. I held onto it. I have to deal with
rescue people who are not the friendliest, customers that have issues. ACTs get it
from every angle. It doesn't help having a leader, he went off on one of our
supervisors in a medical unit, he doesn't give a crap about animals, these were ill
and injured animals.
Donald Lambley: act, volunteer, at mission shelter used as an annex, we get
evidence animals, kittens, young puppies, very light staff, 8 people. I took care of
210 animals by myself last week on the night shift, feeding shift, no vet techs after 6
p.m.
Nancy Moriarty: captain. dept isn't ready for emergency. I related this to Boks and
executive staff. We lost emerg prep coordinator. The chain of command is not recog
by union or us. A female employee died at harbor without heart machine. 28 years.
Zine:Has mgmt ever put the dept in this position before?
Nancy: No
Zine:Is this the worst?
Nancy: Yes. I was told not to provide instruction via email. Then he said he needed
staff to read his blog for instruction. Manual completed in 2001, It was online,
captain kramer was updating it,
Zine: Wold you say the dept is running on auto pilot?
Nancy: Running by employees, rescue groups and volunteers
Troy Boswell: (missed some). Permits is a sore spot, from elephants to puppy mills,
mgmt makes our staff go after people they find personally offensive, the changes to
circus permits reflects Boks personal feelings about circus animals. No one can
use elephants in LA now, SLA shelter is overcrowded, foreclosures, packs of
animals running loose,
Chris Kale: 8 years, SLA, lack of manual,emergency preparedness.
Leslie Corea: (didn't come up to speak)
Dr. Katie Rainey: former employee, ex chief of vets, posters of hooters in the
shelters, I was with the dept 2 years, little less, I resigned, Boks gave approval on
those posters, he said he didn't but he did. He said vegan vixens would be serving
food at grand opening ceremony, new shelter opening, gordon said not a good
idea after hooters, it didn't happen.
Zine: vegan vixens?
Katie: We had an out break of canine distemper, Boks said there's a cure, he said
open the clinic but it would threaten my license, he showed no regard for my
license, said we would prescribe drugs to adopters, we can't do it, not legal, I don't
have pharmacy license
Zine: Why did you leave?
Katie: I had a diff of opinion between GM in respect to infectious diseases. He
wanted us to foster animals with giardia, coccidia, scabies, if someone got ill from
those animals, it's not good. Under Boks, situation could arise that would place my
license in jeopardy. Please, include vet union in the upcoming meeting, look at
how many vets left during Boks, look at former employees, request my emails
between Boks and me, medical ethics, that's why I left. i was friends with dr.smith ex
head vet, Boks wanted people access to rabies area, not a good idea, I was with
public county health dept previously, Boks waved me off, he publicly embarrassed
me. He ridiculed me in front of staff. Ed chose wrong profession,he should be a
politician, he's good at not making the comment,but he'll use gestures , like waving
people off. I wrote a SOP (standards of operation), I wanted a manual for my staff to
follow, he said it was too long, Boks said he or knaan could defer a neuter surgery,
vets should make that decision, medical. I was told we were having a free
vaccinations and microchip event, no one told me, I heard about it from the Vet
Tech, An ACT would run it. You need a vet if rabies shot, Boks said "Rainey you are
getting dramatic again. plus one, minus one, just a quota system,
Cardenas: Plus one, minus one, figure based on previous year? not actual need in
treal time situation but making decision on something based on 12 months ago?
Katie: He would scold you if you went over number,
(someone else came up to explain plus one, minus one. Plus one, minus one
means that every day or month you must at least euthanize one fewer and adopt
one more.)
Cardenas: What if it's sick? It doesn't count in euth category anyway, so what, they
are in sick category
Someone: He would hold us to that.
Cardenas: what if they got really sick ?
Someone: A vet had to decide to euth, write a report then we must respond.
Rainey: I got stuck with job when smith left, six turnover vets during two years, not
good pay compared to private practice, i enjoyed it, it was about serving a
community. my concern was working with someone who could jeopardize my
license.
Zine: I recommend to continue hearing, listen to two employees, then general
public continue.
called two employees, gone. 10:15, started at 6:30
Personnel Meeting
Started at 6:42 p.m.
Councilmembers Zine, Cardenas, present, Parks, Absent
Boks Also Absent.
Zine: There is only one item on the agenda. There are a number of representatives from animal services, commissioners, union, public. We will hear from all. We did the evening meeting so employees and public could attend. This Committee will not take any action as an unfair labor practice is pending. We have no jurisdiction. It's all up to mayor. We have no power to direct, only the commission and mayor have the power. Please, don't use name of employees. I came forward to set up this meting.
How many have attended council meeting?
How many not?
Okay, Sergeant at arms makes sure the meeting is orderly. Let's be professional. It will be videotaped for channel 35 for a later broadcast.
I see representation from the union. Let's begin with them, then dept employees then public. Please, fill out a speaker card.
Julie Butcher, seiu local 721, Thanks for taking the time, thanks from the union and the animals we serve. These are workers of animal services. This was not our first stop with these discussions. We've raised concerns before. We have specific proposals. We support new spayneuter ordinance. We need more folks knocking on doors, more mobile spay, need to license more animals, reach out to vommunities, messages in multiple languages, reuinite more, adopt out more.
Needs of animals not being served by current management. We tried to work with the dept, dept mgmt, to no avail.
Zine: Please, explain.
Julie: We presented you with incredible detail on every effort we made. We recognize courage of workers for standing up, never seen retaliation like this before from this mgmt.
Zine: I spent 33 years with lapd, retired 2001. I'm concerned about city employees. I'm against any retaliation. I want to know about any retaliation personally. There will be no retaliation against anyone who testifies in this hearing. We will intercede.
It's illegal to retaliate. I won't tolerate it.
I know after last meeting the GM visited certain facilities. You asked for union protection. We are responsible for 40,000 employees.
Union leader Victor Gordo: Thanks. First we are not happy to be here. We tried to work with mgmt of this dept as individual unions and collectively. We've met with him, not withstanding his communication (saying we didn't).
There is now an unfair labor practice charge pending with employee relations board filed after city council meeting. You will see specific examples of retaliation.
It started back in march 2008 when we tried to work with gm, then with the mayors office. The gm acknowledges that he received names from mayors office and acted upon it. It's startling to see it in
writing. The charge itself is 7-8 pages, attachments back up unfair labor practices and retaliation. This is unprecedented for this many members to stand up, to say we've had it, together with animal rights community. We can't bear to watch animals being treated this way by mgmt policies and procedures. We've been treated poorly, residents aren't getting services paid for and entitled to. We ask that you take an interest on behalf of animals, employees and constituents.
These are dept wide concerns, concerned equally with animal rights, employee safety. Animal welfare at stake here. I've worked with 9 gms, never been this united (against one).
Resources are an issue, not resources, it's deployment of existing resources. It's alarming only one enforcement officer for 1M people. The enforcment unit disbanded so fewer anmals would be collected from the street, just so he can say we're nokill, fewer animals picked up, fewer to deal with. Who suffers?; animals and public. It's not acceptable. Warehousing is not acceptable.
Dog runs made for 1-2 dogs. They put 7 in the runs. Dog fights,employees have to break up the fights.
Misleading data handed to you. We want more than just PR. All we've gotten is poor judgement and retaliation. In the letter sent to you by gm said only small group of people dislike Boks. You saw at council that is not the case. It's dept wide. His Sept 9 letter said we didn't try to work with him. That's incorrect, misleading.
In boks own emails it shows that we tried to resolve these issues with him. I question the veracity of his statements and data given to council. We're tired of mismanagement , poor judgement, misleading data. He is not responsive to you, poor services, endangerment of animals. They are all an equal danger to public safety. We have mgmt team who is not leading and employees can't follow. Please, take it seriously. We are frustated, cannot follow someone who isn't leading.
Zine: i got a leltter today from boks, said he can't attend the meeting, wants to discuss action plan. He said he will meet with union and mayor 0ct 9. Will you be a part of that meeting?
Victor: Yes, mayors office asked to meet. We had previous meetings with the mayors office which resulted in retaliation.
Zine. Was that meeting called as result of this meeting?
Victor: Yes
Zine: The mayor is the man who hires gms. The Mayor can terminate, then gm can come to city council to try to get job back. Mayor hires, fires, we only confirm.
Zine: Contact my office if there are any results of that meeting. Did you talk to (animal services) commission?
Victor: We have attended meetings.
Julie: We were at commission. Their role is unclear. Commissioners are here tonight. There's no one on the planet that these workers haven not talked to (laughter, applause).
Keith Kramer: Captain,sen aco 2, (hands over documents), 24 years with dept, boardmember of la chapter of labor international union, 777.
In my 24 years during several gms, the only thing that remains the same is change. Never before has dept mgmt and employees been so deeply divided. Please, read through the materials, call if you have questions. We are representing half of the dept employees against Boks.If it fails, our stressful working environment will get worse.
We will lose employees. They will quit because of boks.
Cardenas: Who do you represent?
Kramer: Law enforcmenet, field operations, ACOs, Sen ACOs, WV animal shelter, all under my authority, ACTs, clerical.I also work with medical staff, RVTs, vets.
Zine: What is the organization of command?
Kramer: gm, 2 agms, direct field operations 2, then captains. acts are lowest
(a joke). Volunteers are not lowest (laughter).
Zine: Where did the agms come from? Work way up the ranks?
Kramer: One came from Dallas, other came from Parks Dept.
Glen Brown: I've been a commissioner since 2005, President since August 11.
My folks noticed this problem in the paper. No one brought this to us. (Actually, employees, volunteers, rescuers have been emailing, calling all the commissioners about this for over two years). We don't handle personnel issues. I invite employees and mgmt to try to work this out.
These are turbulent times. We try to be even handed. I do investigation work. I don't accept statements on face value. I visit the clinics, uh, I mean the shelters. I spoke with gm and mayors office looking for money for jobs. This should have come to our dept first, maybe the system could have worked. I invite all employees, staff, come back to try to work it out. We are not a rubber stamp for anybody.
We didn't know about this until saw in the paper. (I really doubt that statement. Everyone has known about these problems for years
now).
Zine: The commission was unaware of dissatisfaction in dept?
Brown: I heard comments, didn't know it was on a mass basis, a movement. No one came to commision to tell us. The last time in 2005 there was a mass show of support for last GM. We are ready to handle problem.
Zine: Union, employees never came to comm to voice concerns?
Brown: Never came before us.
Zine: Does comm do valuations on gm?
Brown: We don't, it's the mayor's job. We ask boks to report to us, about data, but haven't launched an inquiry into that data. A lot of things need to be probed. We lost a lieutenant to county because of this. We can talk about it, work it out.
Zine: Is the gm responsive to commission? (employees laugh) Polices should go through commission. Is gm responsive to direction?
Brown: He sometimes is though not immediately, same with prior gm. You have to probe.
Zine: What about the nokill policy
Brown: We've had a discussion on what those numbers mean. Numbers may not be what they appear to be, need to probe differently. I'm interested in animal cruelty, homeland security. Animal activists were determined to be number one terrorist group in america. I'm trying to get homeland security funds to use against them.
Cardenas: Are you here as an individual or commissioner?
Brown: I'm here as commission president and individual
Cardenas: Are you speaking on behalf of commission?
Brown: Yes. (No, he's speaking only as himself. He doesn't understand the
question or law involved)
Cardenas: You go to shelters, you hear complaints? what do you do with them?
Brown: I've been gathering them, last six months
Cardenas: Why do you visit shelters?
Brown: To see what is going on, get a feel, and to shake hands, let them know that I'm there.
Cardenas: When they give you information, what should you do with it?
Brown: I have conversations about bad kennel design. It's tough to shovel waste Jacob Miller: I'm here to explain how he runs this, intimidation, act of compelling by threats, act of getting revenge. At all hands meetings he keeps employees in separate groups, we gave suggestions, were brushed aside, not direction we wanted to go, direction not clearly laid out. We were told to tell public we're becoming nokill, when we are low kill. An employee was shot down in front of over 100 employees, it continued. Boks said anyone not working toward poorly defined goals, he'll help him get a new job(fired). Divide and conquer. We are not allowed to question his way.
After the city council meeting, all supervisors were asked who worked to compare to people at council meeting. Employees can't attend meeting
on city time. After council meeting on 9/11 Boks went at 6 a.m. to talk to employees with no supervisors present at the shelter.
Boks returned with three citizens to question employees, found a supervisor, He let the citizens interrogate the supervisor. The gm defended citizens only, supervisor couldn't research any records, supervisor was degraded and bullied, forced her to pull up computer records, interrogated for over an hour.
Boks said she must comply as he is the gm. He wrote letter to city council saying we were complaining, he says my way or the hiway. He's made threats against us with threats. It's a hostile work environment, thanks.
Zine: How long with city?
Jacob: My life. 7 years as ACT,
Zine: How often all hands on deck meeting?
Jacob: Not recently probably because he can't answer questions. He couldn't tell us the difference between nokill and lokill. We were told to sit down, sit down, never answered.
Zine: Nokill, lokill, some animals are sick, injured. I discussed with gm. Are all euthanasias reported and included in the numbers? Or only adoptable animals that are euthanized?
Jacob: I don't control numbers. Boks is cooking the books. Animal classified one way when should be another way.
Zine: The account published, does it exclude ill, not adoptable animals?
Cardenas: When did all hands meetings start?
Jacob: Day one when Boks started. The front line employees, those in background, middle managers are wonderful people. The only people who show up to those meetings were front line employees, acts, vts, clerical, acos.
They are required to show up, at friendship park, 100 plus people attended meeting, conducted by Boks.
The purpose of meeting was because we would undergo radical change,
restructure, going nokill. He had cameras, independent filmers, filming his big show, after two meetings they stopped following him around (Someone was going to do a documentary of Boks making LA nokill. They realized they were wasting their time and stopped the move. People are concerned about ideas and messages, mission, values, logo.Why did we need new mission statement?
(Boks took the mission statement directly from New York) If we remembered the mission statement, we'd get a candy bar, i got one word wrong, no candy bar. He was patrionizing.
Cardenas: Patrionizing not against the law in this country. What was wrong?
Jacob: We never got any answers
Cardenas: Give specific example
Jacob: Lo kill and nokill. Why are we telling public we're going to nokill, why not lokill. Boks told the person who asked the question to sit down. Nokill by his definition means we will be killing some for behavior, medical, space. We felt it was a lie.
Zine: Is there a policy manual for dept? nokill, lokill.
Jacob: We haven't had a dept manual for years. We used to have hard copy and on intranet. There currently is no policy manual. Only two AGMs have policy manual. Ed boks doesn't give us tools or materials to get info out to employees. We didn't know if we could wear uniforms today. Can't make heads or tails, no manual. No clear policy. We have one 2002 copy of manual. No updates, no CD, or VHS, beta, dvd.
New programs are very confusing like bottle baby foster, new hope
Linda Gordon: 31 yrs, ACO, college degree, admin, senior mgmt analyst two. I sit in a corner somewhere, no one talks to me, if I die hopefully the cleaning crew will find me and haul me out,
Zine: Were you ostracized? Why in cubby hole?
Gordon: It's a passion in the dept. We are family here, all together, not just a job. My son works for dept, husband and son here to support me today. Commission stated they did not want to have anything to do with listening to employees.
Brown was on commission at that time. Commission divided on this issue. Mayor told commissioners not to be here tonight, other commissioner, president brown does not speak on behalf of the commission, we are willing and able to do the job that needs to be done, however, unable to do that because Boks not doing a service to or for city of LA. We are here because we went to mayor. Boks has failed. More than half employees are here. How can he expect us to move forward if we have no
confidence or trust in GM.
We worked with previous GMs. We are tough, committed to animals. We don't need a GM who can't tell truth to council. He's lied to you,
employees, public, need one with integrity, truthful. He can't see suffering of warehoused pets. We don't need a gm that if we want to know what's happening he tells us to read his blog. He sent email telling employees to read his blog if they want to know what's going on. He sees law enforcmenet as a burden, such as
licensing.
He thinks only about public relations, writing on his blog and photo ops.
He blames his inability to lead on his staff/ We meed a GM who will lead by example. Boks renames programs, claims them as his own. He degrades, intimidates and blames employees. We need one who instills pride. We would settle for a gm that after 2.5 years at least knows our names.
Lack of leadership, atmosphere of fear and intimidation on a daily basis, thank you.
Zine: You do what?
Gordon: Strategic planning the ten steps to nokill. I'm putting action behind words. Boks made nokill our policy first few months but he gave no tools, means, methods to accomplish it. He just "said" we are nokill. He did nothing, no adoption programs.
No pet retention programs, all of the things we need.
Zine: When were you put on strategic plan detail?
Gordon: Feb 2008.
Zine: Two years after he decides to make actual nokill policy? Hmmm. What is your opinion of this gm verses others?
Gordon: i worked closely with each one since 1977. Overall there is no trust in Boks. He denies he said things or was even in a meeting even with 40 witnesses,
Zine: Is there a policy manual?
Gordon: Boks sent memo saying we have no procedure manual. We get info from email or blog.
Harbor has no clue what people at WLA are doing.
Diliberto: 18 years, 17 with dept, was commander, served under Boks for one year.
I keep in touch with employees. I'm now with lapd. Morale at lowest ever. Ive seen 9 GMs.
There is no leadership now, he rarely visited shelters, unless for self serving reason. He didn't care to know employees, didn't want to know them, focused on himself, getting personal publicity. When I went on workers comp, you'd think he'd call me, ask me how I was. I was on animal directors association.
The day after I went on leave he contacted pres of board asking to replace me. The pres called me in shock, she said no, he was not nominated. He's still trying to get on that board and no one has nominated him/ Boks wanted the position. He's not on that board. I went out on stress leave.
Cardenas: Would you be disqualified by your leave?
Diliberto: No. On board two years, VP.
Cardenas: Boks contacted third party and asked how they could create vacancy at your expense?
Diliberto: Yes. At staff meetings, he had his mind made up ahead of time. He'd say I want to do this, what do you think? Even if we said it was a bad idea, he'd do it anyway. He asked us to rubber stamp.
If program failed, he'd blame it on someone else or he'd say "if you knew it was wrong, why didn't you fight we harder to keep me from doing it?" We stopped giving him advice because he wouldn't take it. He wouldn't do what was right. He wanted to change the website.
He wanted to hire someone associated with, don't want to say it publicly but, connections with various animal rights groups Staff did not like her. We said it's a bad idea, staff hates her, he did it anyway. Website had all white people, there was a big to do. It was changed completely again. He said this woman will have complete authority over this website, she can put on it whatever she wanted. He said that's the way it's going to be, then the whole thing blew up, then he denied he said that.
Then he said why didn't you tell me I was saying something that was crazy? I said you weren't listening.
Cardenas: Did boks ever discuss hooters incident?
Diliberto: I was there for that. He presented as a done deal. Boks said hooters was a good idea, already had flyer done, just said we're going to do it. I was going through personal issues, work related, shutting down. Things he claims as successes were things that were already in place
before he got here, or things we already worked on, people weren't given credit when due. Boks is focused on himself and his accomplishments.
I worked on opening of shelters. I didn't even get an invitation when I spent 5-7 years planning them. Good employees have left dept and gone to la county, county recognizes these are great workers.
Zine: Employees please, stand, thanks
Diliberto: Boks never had my back. Stuckey always had my back. You can restore hope to animals.
Zine: We have no authority/. We will submit report to mayors office.
Questions, hooters, pitbulls? were you around? He was at council with the academy without approval.
Diliberto: It was discussed but never officially approved.
Zine: Some have access to firearms. Is there a policy for use? What report is made if its utilized?
Diliberto: There is a manual about firearms on animals. We only use on animals.
There is a form, when I was there, every time gun used, reviewed by supersivor
and signed. 38 caliber revolvers, shotguns, 12 gauge,
Zine: 30 people want to speak. Limit to five minutes, want new info only, personal
knowledge. Only taking testimony from those coming forward. Emails will be placed
in the file. We don't give credit to anonymous or ficticious info.
Commissioner atake: 2005 to 2007. I asked Boks to provide commission copy of
policy manual. Brown said nobody brought issues to commission, farthest from
truth. You need to evaluate commission as well. Look at minutes. I brought those
issues up during my tenure, but i was dismissed. I was told to shut up or else, so I
resigned. Blackman told me to shut up or else. Read my resignation letter, things
are the same if not worse. Many could not come tonight, afraid of retaliation, I
resigned because I couldn't be involved with demoralization.
Commissioner Laura Beth: I have couple of binders of documents. Tonight is
unprecedented, employees and activists united because there are serious
problems. It makes our city look bad. I have examples. The problem is lack of
business like strategy. We have a eries of programs, old programs with new
names, new programs that have no operation. New Hope is the old adoption
partner program. There has been no increase in rescue adoptions. Felix, info on a
web page, no operations. STAR program, get donations to use on animals with
extreme medical needs, only one animal helped. They told me its just a marketing
term only. New mission shelter sitting unused, clinics, none are operating, Boks
and Barth told to reject clinico, shows lack of understanding, we need surgeries,
fortunately commission passed it. Hooters, pitbull academy, endorsing candidates
on blogs, where does he get time to do all that blogging, misstatements to public,
during nokill month he killed 600 animal, said 95% nokill when euth is up 37%,
audits are embarrassment,
Zine: Manual for employees? ever discussed?
Laura Beth: I can't answer, didn't go to meetings after a while. 2002, 2003. there is
no manual, instructions, rules.
Zine: Animals put to sleep, accurate? is Boks excluding some from the count?
Laura: Impossible to answer, not in euth rooms counting. I look at stats, there is
deception in categorizing animals, 95% on way to nokill, we kill thousands more,
Zine: Animals that are sick, behavior problems, not included in euth figures?
Laura: Stats are separate, can't say inaccurate, those numbers are manipulated for
media, statements to you and to mayor. That is how we come up with kind of
statements like we are 95% nokill, stats being spun, numbers online probably
accurate
William Transell: In Boks letter to council, he said only small group disliked him,
30/32 supersivors, that's not a small group, all but two, 98%. We have been
attacked by animal rights terrorists. How effective can we be when we've cast our
vote of no confidence
Mirabelle Martinez: Officer Dancy wrote this speech,she couldn't come so I will be
saying it. "I'm one of 32 ACOs, Boks, Barth, Davis, all they have done is play a
numbers game, animals in our care in dangerous conditions. Boks said he'd make
the city nokill in five years, instead 37% increase in euth. He put a moratorium on
behavior related euth, why? He's flip flopped between warehousing to avoid euth
and euth to avoid warehousing. We euth only for behavior or medical, never for
time or space, just a number games. It doesn't help animals get out alive, but does
stroke the ego of ed boks. These games diminish quality of life for animals and
employees. Boks hoards and warehouses, shelters overcrowded, cramped, It's a
ticking timb bomb. He's on fast downward spiral out of control, 9/11 he and Davis
and Capt DeDeaux are only ones qualified if animal has behavior problem and can
be euth. It's an utterly ridiculous and pompous statement. Davis and Boks aren't
behavioral experts. They don't deal with animals , except cute cuddly ones for
photo ops,
Patricia Ott: 15 years, supervisor, EV shelter. I've never been to a comm meeting to
complain because of fear. Sometimes commission isn't fair, especially if Boks is
there. I don't want to get fired, no manual available, he tells the public that we're
wrong, demoralizing, no clear direction, plus one, minus one, we can't go over goal
or face reprimand, then he says it's only a tool, what if we get sick aniamls? hooters
for neuters, I was offended, flyer was in the shelter woman in bikini, working cats
program, Boks told me to, take feral cats and get acclimated to lapd stations. I told
him we can't support that, we can't have more than three animals at any address,
it's illegal,then he pulls me off of it. Myself and other acts, we do our own gardening,
because not in the budget, we are graded on appearance of shelter, how can we
do 95% nokill when we killed 100 kittens in a month? if we had spayneuter,
wouldn't have to do that.
Zine: We had this meeting at 6:30 so no duty schedule conflict. If you're on duty,
please fill out form....
Kathy Moony: aco, 29 years, I take care of database chameleon, statistics, numbers
are accurate but the interpretation of those numbers, maybe not. Nokill, it's an
impossibility, obviously, nokill numbers exclude animals sick, injured, behavior
unsuited, if you take them out, that's what he's using, no one can be nokill unless
they don't accept all animals that come in the door,
Zine: 100 dogs, 50 sick, injured, behv...then 50 adoptable. I had a personal
meeting with Boks months ago. I asked that question, all animals are included
when numbers are reported,
Zine: Who makes euth decision, those numbers are published? sick, injured..?
what is honest truth?when did you do all the numbers?
Kathy: 2-3 years.
Cardenas: Are you aware of any discrepencies not adding up?
Kathy: Raw numbers are accurate or very close.
Cardenas: I was at pr conference this morning. Boks said 15,000 euth'd. euth was
double before he got here, right? (Before he got here 19,000 cats/dogs killed, then
15,000 now we're back at 17,000)
Kathy: We are warehousing more animals. Makes big diff. Boks made decision to
change categories. I've been punished already, I work with Barth. She took action
against me, uncalled for, I feel I cut my own throat by coming up here, because of
what they've done to me, i'll be retiring early in five months. I can't stay now.
Daniel: Divide and conquer. Evaluations, i have no say in evaluations of my
underlings, only a supervisor who does not see them all the time like me. We have
no evacuation plan, 72 dogs in 14 kennels, Boks told him to keep them for 45 days,
plus one, minus one, not a tool, a monopoly of numbers, I've been retaliated
against, we should have 1 animal per cage, maybe 2, I have 126 dogs, 164 cats.
Pan Anna: Captain, grievance, situation, there was a reclassification of assignment,
Boks didn't respond, went to arbitration, we won our case, nothing was done, had
to go to superior court to enforce it. At the end of hands all meeting Boks said
everything kept confidential in this room. Later I overheard him say, gee we should
have tape recorded this one.
Zine: Anyone with anything positive to say about Boks?
Rita Gorman: Boks has brought us all together, very close.
Zine: Other than that. I want to make sure we had a fair hearing.
Rita Gorman: I got the job then had fear of losing it. I held onto it. I have to deal with
rescue people who are not the friendliest, customers that have issues. ACTs get it
from every angle. It doesn't help having a leader, he went off on one of our
supervisors in a medical unit, he doesn't give a crap about animals, these were ill
and injured animals.
Donald Lambley: act, volunteer, at mission shelter used as an annex, we get
evidence animals, kittens, young puppies, very light staff, 8 people. I took care of
210 animals by myself last week on the night shift, feeding shift, no vet techs after 6
p.m.
Nancy Moriarty: captain. dept isn't ready for emergency. I related this to Boks and
executive staff. We lost emerg prep coordinator. The chain of command is not recog
by union or us. A female employee died at harbor without heart machine. 28 years.
Zine:Has mgmt ever put the dept in this position before?
Nancy: No
Zine:Is this the worst?
Nancy: Yes. I was told not to provide instruction via email. Then he said he needed
staff to read his blog for instruction. Manual completed in 2001, It was online,
captain kramer was updating it,
Zine: Wold you say the dept is running on auto pilot?
Nancy: Running by employees, rescue groups and volunteers
Troy Boswell: (missed some). Permits is a sore spot, from elephants to puppy mills,
mgmt makes our staff go after people they find personally offensive, the changes to
circus permits reflects Boks personal feelings about circus animals. No one can
use elephants in LA now, SLA shelter is overcrowded, foreclosures, packs of
animals running loose,
Chris Kale: 8 years, SLA, lack of manual,emergency preparedness.
Leslie Corea: (didn't come up to speak)
Dr. Katie Rainey: former employee, ex chief of vets, posters of hooters in the
shelters, I was with the dept 2 years, little less, I resigned, Boks gave approval on
those posters, he said he didn't but he did. He said vegan vixens would be serving
food at grand opening ceremony, new shelter opening, gordon said not a good
idea after hooters, it didn't happen.
Zine: vegan vixens?
Katie: We had an out break of canine distemper, Boks said there's a cure, he said
open the clinic but it would threaten my license, he showed no regard for my
license, said we would prescribe drugs to adopters, we can't do it, not legal, I don't
have pharmacy license
Zine: Why did you leave?
Katie: I had a diff of opinion between GM in respect to infectious diseases. He
wanted us to foster animals with giardia, coccidia, scabies, if someone got ill from
those animals, it's not good. Under Boks, situation could arise that would place my
license in jeopardy. Please, include vet union in the upcoming meeting, look at
how many vets left during Boks, look at former employees, request my emails
between Boks and me, medical ethics, that's why I left. i was friends with dr.smith ex
head vet, Boks wanted people access to rabies area, not a good idea, I was with
public county health dept previously, Boks waved me off, he publicly embarrassed
me. He ridiculed me in front of staff. Ed chose wrong profession,he should be a
politician, he's good at not making the comment,but he'll use gestures , like waving
people off. I wrote a SOP (standards of operation), I wanted a manual for my staff to
follow, he said it was too long, Boks said he or knaan could defer a neuter surgery,
vets should make that decision, medical. I was told we were having a free
vaccinations and microchip event, no one told me, I heard about it from the Vet
Tech, An ACT would run it. You need a vet if rabies shot, Boks said "Rainey you are
getting dramatic again. plus one, minus one, just a quota system,
Cardenas: Plus one, minus one, figure based on previous year? not actual need in
treal time situation but making decision on something based on 12 months ago?
Katie: He would scold you if you went over number,
(someone else came up to explain plus one, minus one. Plus one, minus one
means that every day or month you must at least euthanize one fewer and adopt
one more.)
Cardenas: What if it's sick? It doesn't count in euth category anyway, so what, they
are in sick category
Someone: He would hold us to that.
Cardenas: what if they got really sick ?
Someone: A vet had to decide to euth, write a report then we must respond.
Rainey: I got stuck with job when smith left, six turnover vets during two years, not
good pay compared to private practice, i enjoyed it, it was about serving a
community. my concern was working with someone who could jeopardize my
license.
Zine: I recommend to continue hearing, listen to two employees, then general
public continue.
called two employees, gone. 10:15, started at 6:30
GOING, GOING...Part II
.
Carla Hall, who everyone thought could only write fluff pieces about LAAS and Boks, I guess decided the blood was so thick now that she was safe in finally reporting what hundreds of people have been telling her for WELL over a year and a half.
Carla and her ilk, and a pathetic lack of courage by the LA Times to alienate Mayor Tony by printing anything bad about one of his primo appointees about whom he has lavished praise for month after month for two years, finally came to her senses.
Why? She was not leading the charge against Boks as, for example, has Dana Bartholomew, but actually was only bringing up the rear guard---safe, safe, safe, and pathetic.
Her piece in the Times:
L.A. animal shelter workers voice complaints about agency chief
Staffers tell councilmen at a special meeting that the department is a rudderless ship and that general manager Ed Boks has not told them how to carry out his goal of creating a 'no kill' policy.
.
By Carla Hall, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 8, 2008
.
Dozens of frustrated Los Angeles city shelter workers, as well as many volunteer animal welfare advocates, brought their complaints about the shelter system's general manager, Ed Boks, to a public hearing at Van Nuys City Hall on Tuesday night.
"I realize the department is often controversial," said Linda Gordon, a staffer of L.A. Animal Services, the agency that runs the city's municipal shelters.
"We're trouble for you," she told Councilmen Dennis Zine and Tony Cardenas. "But we're here tonight -- workers, volunteers, the humane community. . . . How can anyone expect us to move the department forward if we have no confidence or trust in the general manager?"
At leas t 150 people -- including about 60 employees of Animal Services -- attended the hearing, which was called by the City Council's Personnel Committee. The hearing was convened in the wake of a petition that at least half the staff of Animal Services signed earlier this year stating they had "no confidence" in Boks. The employees and their union leaders first took the petition to the mayor's office. Then, dissatisfied with what they said was a lack of response, they presented it to the City Council. Boks, as head of a city agency, answers only to the mayor. The City Council cannot fire him.
Zine, who chairs the Personnel Committee, listened intently to the speakers. He and Cardenas peppered them with questions. When many employees said they worried about retaliation for speaking against Boks, Zine assured them that he had all their names and he would make sure they did not suffer any adverse action on their jobs for attending the hearing.
One by one, staffers portrayed Animal Services as a rudderless ship. They faulted th e general manager for failing to tell them how to carry out his goal of creating a "no kill" policy for the shelters. They said he gave conflicting directives and was more interested in photo ops than caring for the animals.
"We can't make heads or tails of just about any policy in this department," said Jacob Miller, a shelter worker.
"We don't need a general manager who says to employees, 'If you want to know what's going on in the department, read my blog,' " said Gordon, referring to Boks' blog on the Animal Services website.
Employees and some animal welfare advocates also complained that Boks exaggerated the extent to which the department was headed toward his no-kill goal -- which would mean no healthy animals were euthanized. Employees said Bok got around this by classifying many shelter animals as either sick or behaviorally unsuitable.
Employees also complained that, in an effort to meet the no-kill goal, shelters were becoming overcrowded warehouses where animals fought with each other, endangering themselves and shelter workers.
Animal control officer Stacey Dancy -- in a statement read by a colleague to the council members -- mentioned that Boks had declared last month that only he, an assistant general manager and an Animal Services captain were qualified to assess whether an animal had a behavior problem that would allow euthanization.
"I beg to differ with this utterly ridiculous and pompous statement," Dancy said in her statement. She took no i ssue with the caption but said that neither Boks nor his deputy "impound, house, feed, clean or medicate animals, move animals from crowded cage to crowded cage, break up fights."
"I think the problem is a lack of a business-like strategy," said Laura Beth Heisen, a former commissioner on the board that oversees Animal Services (but has little power over the agency).
Being general manager of a large municipal shelter -- grappling with overcrowding as well as the desire to euthanize as little as possible -- can be a challenge. Boks has been under fire from animal welfare advocates -- and now his employees -- during much of his nearly three-year tenure here. In a letter he sent to Zine Monday he said he had been hired to make changes in the shelter system.
"I can be hard to get along with, demanding, sometimes exasperating and often in a hurry to get things done," he wrote. "That can create an uncomfortable situation for veterans who were comfortable with their jobs as they existed before I arrived. . . . That is what it sometimes means to be a 'change agent.' "
carla.hall@latimes.com
.
Carla Hall, who everyone thought could only write fluff pieces about LAAS and Boks, I guess decided the blood was so thick now that she was safe in finally reporting what hundreds of people have been telling her for WELL over a year and a half.
Carla and her ilk, and a pathetic lack of courage by the LA Times to alienate Mayor Tony by printing anything bad about one of his primo appointees about whom he has lavished praise for month after month for two years, finally came to her senses.
Why? She was not leading the charge against Boks as, for example, has Dana Bartholomew, but actually was only bringing up the rear guard---safe, safe, safe, and pathetic.
Her piece in the Times:
L.A. animal shelter workers voice complaints about agency chief
Staffers tell councilmen at a special meeting that the department is a rudderless ship and that general manager Ed Boks has not told them how to carry out his goal of creating a 'no kill' policy.
.
By Carla Hall, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 8, 2008
.
Dozens of frustrated Los Angeles city shelter workers, as well as many volunteer animal welfare advocates, brought their complaints about the shelter system's general manager, Ed Boks, to a public hearing at Van Nuys City Hall on Tuesday night.
"I realize the department is often controversial," said Linda Gordon, a staffer of L.A. Animal Services, the agency that runs the city's municipal shelters.
"We're trouble for you," she told Councilmen Dennis Zine and Tony Cardenas. "But we're here tonight -- workers, volunteers, the humane community. . . . How can anyone expect us to move the department forward if we have no confidence or trust in the general manager?"
At leas t 150 people -- including about 60 employees of Animal Services -- attended the hearing, which was called by the City Council's Personnel Committee. The hearing was convened in the wake of a petition that at least half the staff of Animal Services signed earlier this year stating they had "no confidence" in Boks. The employees and their union leaders first took the petition to the mayor's office. Then, dissatisfied with what they said was a lack of response, they presented it to the City Council. Boks, as head of a city agency, answers only to the mayor. The City Council cannot fire him.
Zine, who chairs the Personnel Committee, listened intently to the speakers. He and Cardenas peppered them with questions. When many employees said they worried about retaliation for speaking against Boks, Zine assured them that he had all their names and he would make sure they did not suffer any adverse action on their jobs for attending the hearing.
One by one, staffers portrayed Animal Services as a rudderless ship. They faulted th e general manager for failing to tell them how to carry out his goal of creating a "no kill" policy for the shelters. They said he gave conflicting directives and was more interested in photo ops than caring for the animals.
"We can't make heads or tails of just about any policy in this department," said Jacob Miller, a shelter worker.
"We don't need a general manager who says to employees, 'If you want to know what's going on in the department, read my blog,' " said Gordon, referring to Boks' blog on the Animal Services website.
Employees and some animal welfare advocates also complained that Boks exaggerated the extent to which the department was headed toward his no-kill goal -- which would mean no healthy animals were euthanized. Employees said Bok got around this by classifying many shelter animals as either sick or behaviorally unsuitable.
Employees also complained that, in an effort to meet the no-kill goal, shelters were becoming overcrowded warehouses where animals fought with each other, endangering themselves and shelter workers.
Animal control officer Stacey Dancy -- in a statement read by a colleague to the council members -- mentioned that Boks had declared last month that only he, an assistant general manager and an Animal Services captain were qualified to assess whether an animal had a behavior problem that would allow euthanization.
"I beg to differ with this utterly ridiculous and pompous statement," Dancy said in her statement. She took no i ssue with the caption but said that neither Boks nor his deputy "impound, house, feed, clean or medicate animals, move animals from crowded cage to crowded cage, break up fights."
"I think the problem is a lack of a business-like strategy," said Laura Beth Heisen, a former commissioner on the board that oversees Animal Services (but has little power over the agency).
Being general manager of a large municipal shelter -- grappling with overcrowding as well as the desire to euthanize as little as possible -- can be a challenge. Boks has been under fire from animal welfare advocates -- and now his employees -- during much of his nearly three-year tenure here. In a letter he sent to Zine Monday he said he had been hired to make changes in the shelter system.
"I can be hard to get along with, demanding, sometimes exasperating and often in a hurry to get things done," he wrote. "That can create an uncomfortable situation for veterans who were comfortable with their jobs as they existed before I arrived. . . . That is what it sometimes means to be a 'change agent.' "
carla.hall@latimes.com
.
GOING, GOING....PART I
From Mayor Sam:
Villaraigosa Cornered after Strong-Arming City Councilmen
Did Mayor Villaraigosa try to strong-arm Councilmembers Tony Cardenas, Bernard Parks and Dennis Zine into not holding a meeting of hundreds of city employees and animal rescuers last night?
You betcha.
Did it work? No sir!
According to those in attendance, nearly 200 people composed of animal shelter employees, union officials, rescuers, and media attended the special evening Personnel Committee meeting at Van Nuys City Hall to demand the termination of Edwin M. Boks, the Animal Services general manager and Linda Barth, his hand-picked assistant general manager.
Villaraigosa’s office also ordered Boks’ rubber-stamping Animal Services commissioners to not attend the event, although two (Archibald J. Quincey and president Glen Brown) disregarded those directives.
The Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News have stories about this today, but both missed the most shocking testimony of the evening, which was confirmed by several people in attendance.
Former chief veterinarian of the Department of Animal Services, Kathy Rainey, said Mr. Boks ordered her to “conduct certain veterinary practices with infectious diseases without regard for public safety, including allowing public access to a rabies isolation area, even though such jurisdiction is a county function once rabies is diagnosed."
Mr. Boks, she said, told her that the worst that could happen is that she would receive "just a slap on the wrist and that the California Veterinary Board should not be in our business."
The vet also said that Mr. Boks allowed other medical decisions to b e made by another Assistant GM, even though she has no background in veterinary medicine, causing six other veterinarians to leave the city to practice elsewhere.
After detailing other shocking behavior from Mr. Boks and/or Ms. Barth, Dr. Rainey said that as a public health official, she resigned because if she acted as Mr. Boks directed her to, the California Veterinary Board could have revoked her license.
The veterinarian advised that if such practices were ever reported to the state, and proven to be true, it could cost the city its own state license to run animal shelters.
A 29 year department employee, Kathy Mooney, said she is retiring early due to Mr. Boks' intimidation, said she felt like she is "hanging herself" by coming to the meeting, told how in her job as the keeper-of-department-kill-statistics, Mr. Boks creates ever-vaguer statistics so that Mr. Boks can make false claims that the city is "95% No Kill," even though it kills tens of thousands of animals per year.
Victor Gordo, a union representative, told of the threats, intimidation and unfair labor practices employed by Mr. Boks and Ms. Barth. Mr. Brown (the Animal Services commission president) publicly denied that these wide-scale employee concerns were ever brought to the commission’s attention. That could be because20Mr. Brown appears to have missed at least 10 commission meetings during his two year tenure. (His claims were publicly disputed by Maria Atake, another former commissioner who told about her experiences with Mr. Boks.)
Other problems addressed include a complete lack of training, policies & procedures, and emergency preparedness.
At one point, Dennis Zine asked, "Is there anyone in the room who has anything positive to say about Mr. Boks or Ms. Barth?" One employee got up and said, "Yes, they have united everyone in this room against them!"
The meeting ran so long that, after a full 4 hours of testimony, the Councilmembers still had dozens of speaker cards that had yet to be called, so the Council members told the crowd that the meeting would be reconvened within a few days.
Going back to the original point: Why did Mayor Villaraigosa try to strong-arm the City Councilmembers into not having the meeting?
That answer is embarrassment. For years, the Mayor has stayed with Mr. Boks because, to admit that he made yet another hiring mistake would be to arm future political opponents with proof of Villaraigosa’s incompetence. But now, with numerous TV and video cameras recording last night’s meeting, the Mayor can no longer claim he didn’t know.
All the Mayor can do is try to strong-arm the City Council, again, wh ich, this time, it appears won’t be enough.
The Mayor is meeting on Thursday with Union officials to discuss the future of Mr. Boks’ and Ms. Barth's employment with the city.
As Paul Harvey says, then there’s “the other side of the story.” There is a money trail to someone who has been influencing the mayor to keep Mr. Boks. If anyone has more information about this, please write to us. Be prepared to help us name names.
EMPLOYEES BLAST BOKS
.
Did you hear the Zine meeting. Unbelievable! They confirmed Boks was worse than even I thought. I especially enjoyed Linda Gordon's remarks.
Dana Bartholomew writes:
Workers, activists join against animal services chief
By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/07/2008 09:13:51 PM PDT
Animal shelter workers joined activists Tuesday to renew calls for the resignation of city animal control manager Ed Boks. During a special city meeting, employees for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services called for the heads of general manager Ed
Boks, and his assistant, Linda Barth.
Last month, half the department had filed a petition of no confidence, citing mismanagement, intimidation, retaliation and a disregard for workers, animals and public safety.
"This is unprecedented for this many members of animal services to stand up and say, 'We've had it, ... We can't bear to see animals the way they're being treated because of management policies and procedures,'" said Victor Gordo, a union representative for LAAS middle management.
"The citizens of Los Angeles are not getting the services they have paid for."
An estimated 200 animal shelter workers, activists and concerned residents packed the Tuesday evening Personnel Committee meeting at Van Nuys City Hall.
The public forum was called by Councilman Dennis Zine, chairman of the committee, in response to workers' concerns. The committee includes council members Tony Cardenas and Bernard C. Parks. Parks did not attend Tuesday's meeting.
"We just are trying to get to the bottom line of what's happening in this department," Zine said after the meeting.
Boks is scheduled Thursday to meet with officials from the Mayor's Office and shelter worker unions to plan how to address the employees' concerns. In a letter to employees Monday, Boks said he values employee input.
"It is important to me that we identify problems, confirm facts and resolve whatever differences may exist among us - and that we continue to work as a team," wrote Boks, who didn't attend the meeting.
Boks also wrote Zine that being a "change agent" can be difficult while making Los Angeles the first large "no-kill" city in the nation.
Critics, including unions for shelter managers and officers, contend the city's top animal control regulator has warehoused too many pets at the city's expanded city shelter system.
As a result, they say dogs and cats attack one another, get sick and must ultimately be put down. This year, euthanasia is up 37 percent in Los Angeles.
In addition, they blasted Boks with a litany of complaints, from a lack of viable adoption programs to no-leash law enforcement by too few animal control officers on the street.
Meanwhile, city officials have asked why six of the eight spay-neuter clinics have sat vacant.
Linda Gordon, a senior management analyst and 30-year veteran of animal services, said the department has no confidence in Boks. "We are not whiners. We work hard every day. We're the ones who scoop the poop," Gordon said. "We are the ones who must hold the animal when they are killed."
dana.bartholomew@dailynews.com
818-713-3730
Did you hear the Zine meeting. Unbelievable! They confirmed Boks was worse than even I thought. I especially enjoyed Linda Gordon's remarks.
Dana Bartholomew writes:
Workers, activists join against animal services chief
By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/07/2008 09:13:51 PM PDT
Animal shelter workers joined activists Tuesday to renew calls for the resignation of city animal control manager Ed Boks. During a special city meeting, employees for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services called for the heads of general manager Ed
Boks, and his assistant, Linda Barth.
Last month, half the department had filed a petition of no confidence, citing mismanagement, intimidation, retaliation and a disregard for workers, animals and public safety.
"This is unprecedented for this many members of animal services to stand up and say, 'We've had it, ... We can't bear to see animals the way they're being treated because of management policies and procedures,'" said Victor Gordo, a union representative for LAAS middle management.
"The citizens of Los Angeles are not getting the services they have paid for."
An estimated 200 animal shelter workers, activists and concerned residents packed the Tuesday evening Personnel Committee meeting at Van Nuys City Hall.
The public forum was called by Councilman Dennis Zine, chairman of the committee, in response to workers' concerns. The committee includes council members Tony Cardenas and Bernard C. Parks. Parks did not attend Tuesday's meeting.
"We just are trying to get to the bottom line of what's happening in this department," Zine said after the meeting.
Boks is scheduled Thursday to meet with officials from the Mayor's Office and shelter worker unions to plan how to address the employees' concerns. In a letter to employees Monday, Boks said he values employee input.
"It is important to me that we identify problems, confirm facts and resolve whatever differences may exist among us - and that we continue to work as a team," wrote Boks, who didn't attend the meeting.
Boks also wrote Zine that being a "change agent" can be difficult while making Los Angeles the first large "no-kill" city in the nation.
Critics, including unions for shelter managers and officers, contend the city's top animal control regulator has warehoused too many pets at the city's expanded city shelter system.
As a result, they say dogs and cats attack one another, get sick and must ultimately be put down. This year, euthanasia is up 37 percent in Los Angeles.
In addition, they blasted Boks with a litany of complaints, from a lack of viable adoption programs to no-leash law enforcement by too few animal control officers on the street.
Meanwhile, city officials have asked why six of the eight spay-neuter clinics have sat vacant.
Linda Gordon, a senior management analyst and 30-year veteran of animal services, said the department has no confidence in Boks. "We are not whiners. We work hard every day. We're the ones who scoop the poop," Gordon said. "We are the ones who must hold the animal when they are killed."
dana.bartholomew@dailynews.com
818-713-3730
28 Reasons Why Boks Should be Fired
.
I yesterday's post, I applauded the work on anonymous writer Madison Barkley.
But before Madison, there was Animal Friend and I. I must say Friend was probably far more attacked, slandered and generally destroyed than I by Boks.
Anyway, someone sent in a long comment to a previous post that outlines Boks shenanigans, lies, boasts, political bloopers, etc., in the most pithy way that the whole 2.8 years can be captured, and from an insiders viewpoint--an insider who has written documentation to prove all allegations below. I too have many of Boks' emails that confirm the allegations below.
Here are the 28 points below:
Reasons why Boks should be fired:
1. Boks was fired from New York. That should be enough. In deposition for the above mentioned NY lawsuit, it turns out that Boks slept with the commissioner who oversees him. He went over budget and couldn't make payroll so he decided on his own to take out a loan with a bank, with no authority or approval. He is reprimanded, again. The Mayors office in NY hated Boks, which he admits in his own affidavit.
2. November 2005 right before Boks was fired from New York, he and the City are sued for unlawful termination. Seems Boks fired a black employee with years of experience so he could hire his white friend who had no experience but did have a criminal conviction in his past. Status: pending but City will lose.
3. Seniors 4 Seniors: The program was not approved yet Boks started it any way. He gets in trouble with Public Safety committee. Weiss, Zine yell at Boks telling him he must follow procedure. Boks takes the program down off the web. It would be two years until it was approved. His response, "easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."
4. Pit Bull Academy: Again, Boks starts a program with no approval. He has ex-cons working in the shelters for two weeks with dangerous pit bulls and releases news of his program, which is indeed news to personnel and city council. He is forced to end the program firing the ex-cons. The program was never approved due to major liability issues.
5. Kapparot: Boks states that the Jewish ritual kapparot is barbaric and loathsome. The ritual itself is fine. The only part that is barbaric is if they kill chickens in the ritual. Most Jews don't use chickens.
His original comment to the media was as follows:
In a message dated 9/28/2006 9:25:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time, edboks@hotmail.com writes:
"Some of our nation's healthiest animal husbandry practices and laws originated in the ancient traditions of the Torah. Nowhere is the barbaric practice of Kapparot even mentioned in the Torah. It is a loathsome pagan tradition that has been muddled into the sacred religious practices of a small Jewish sect. Kapparot should have no place in a civilized 21st Century Los Angeles community."
[Should I make a] Couple small changes? Any suggested edits? "
A rescuer replied: maybe get rid of barbaric and loathsome?
Later when Boks gets in trouble with the anti defamation league he lies and tells people that he never said that. He says that same employee made that up. Then he lies and says he fired the employee in response. No one was fired because no one wrote it but Boks.
6. Boks orders an employee to start a blog for him, laanimalfriends at eponym. In this blog Boks attacks rescuers, employees, councilmembers, activists and anyone who doesn't kiss his rear end. He releases bogus numbers, press releases and flat out lies. The Mayor's office tells him to stop the blog, yet he refuses. Ultimately even though he provided all content, direction and most of the text, he blames someone else for it.
7. Hooters for Neuters: He posted a provocative photo of a woman in a bikini top. When asked to change the flyer he flat out refused. He told insiders "the more fuss they make, the better!" Finally, days later he is forced to cancel the event, all because he wouldn't tone down a flyer. He told his friends "how about we write girls gone wild across her chest!" Laura Chick states that it demeans women. He counters with "she's just jealous because she has no boobs." Chick had a double mastectomy because of breast cancer.
8. After being fired from New York, Boks helps an activist sue the Department revealing confidential City information and defaming the Mayor, Commissioners and employees. He blames his failures in NY on everyone but himself. He had the exact same problems there, i.e. overcrowding, dying animals, fudged numbers, lying.
9. Boks faked his resume. He said he made Maricopa "nokill." He did not. When questioned he said he made one shelter nokill. He did not. There were only two shelters and an adoption only center. He finally admits that only the adoption only was nokill. It was not. They would take animals from that center back to the shelter, then kill them.
10. Boks dated many female rescuers in LA during all of 2006. He would promise them jobs if they just went out with him. Some went out with him and got jobs. Some refused him and instead were harassed and defamed.
11. He gave his ex-girlfriend, Pia Salk a $20,000 consulting gig which no one has seen and was never implemented.
12. He gave another friend a $30,000 volunteer dept consulting gig which was never utilized. The report basically told everyone what they already knew, i.e. volunteers are treated poorly and disrespected. The volunteer consultant then causes a few more volunteers to quit.
13. Boks and the City were sued for sexual harassment, unlawful termination and assault July 2007. Case is still pending.
14. Boks and the City were sued for what looks like a car accident in a City car. Case is still pending. Was alcohol involved? Boks is a known alcoholic.
15. Euthanasia has not gone down since Boks arrived. In fact it's gone up 37% even though they have new larger shelters, more money and more employees than ever before. This is the first time ever than euthanasia has not gone down. All previous shelter managers reduced euthanasia.
16. Animals dying on their own from illness and injury is up over 300% since he arrived from overcrowding even though intake is down.
17. 2.5x as many animals are dying in cage fights from overcrowding.
18. Twice as many animals are dead on arrival when intake overall is down. [My comment: Something fishy here, such as live animals come in, die and are marked DOA?]
19. Last year Boks refused unneutered feral cats and kittens to make his numbers look better. Most cats euthanized are feral or kittens. This year we have been over run by kittens, which are being killed in record numbers. Boks blames this on foreclosures even though it was from refusing unneutered animals which had babies.
20. Boks continues to release totally false news items such as "LA Animal Services is the largest adoption agency in the world!" It's not even the largest in Southern California. That would be LA County.
21. Boks makes up his statistics and numbers himself. Euthansia did not go down the first year here in LA. Then Boks took over the numbers duty from an employee. Amazingly, euthansia started to go down instantly. Even more amazingly it seems that kitten intake went down by over 30% instantly which is exactly equal to the reduction in euthanasia. Amazing coincidences. Not.
22. Councilmembers are concerned about these events and make motions to address them. Boks doesn't bother to respond to their motions.
23. Boks stated he would increase spay neuter surgeries from 56,000 to 150,000. [My comment: Ed told me that LAAS would do 20,000 S/N at each shelter by the end of 2008] Yes, he said that. In fact surgeries went from 44,000 (yes, he lied about the current number of surgeries) to just over 48,000.
24. Boks tells City Council LA will be nokill by 2008. Hello, it's almost 2009 and we're killing more than before.
25. February 2006 Boks swears he will increase dog licensing. Licensing has gone down not up.
26. Boks gathers a bunch of volunteers and employees to go vandalize the home of protestors who are picketing his house, Pam Ferdin, Jerry Vlasak, Tiffany Krog and Annette Stark. He asks the volunteers to make posters making these people look stupid and silly. Fortunately the employees refused to do it yet he made these requests in writing. [My comment: I can attest to this. I was in on the planning process. We were trying to find out where these people lived. It was at this point Boks was warned to back off bya City Attorney, and suddenly I became a fallguy.]
27. Boks asks an employee to get someone to beat up one of his detractors. Fortunately they refused but he also made this request in writing.
28. Boks asks a few women out. Some say yes, some say no. He decides to retaliate against the ones that said no by harassing and defaming them, in writing.
I yesterday's post, I applauded the work on anonymous writer Madison Barkley.
But before Madison, there was Animal Friend and I. I must say Friend was probably far more attacked, slandered and generally destroyed than I by Boks.
Anyway, someone sent in a long comment to a previous post that outlines Boks shenanigans, lies, boasts, political bloopers, etc., in the most pithy way that the whole 2.8 years can be captured, and from an insiders viewpoint--an insider who has written documentation to prove all allegations below. I too have many of Boks' emails that confirm the allegations below.
Here are the 28 points below:
Reasons why Boks should be fired:
1. Boks was fired from New York. That should be enough. In deposition for the above mentioned NY lawsuit, it turns out that Boks slept with the commissioner who oversees him. He went over budget and couldn't make payroll so he decided on his own to take out a loan with a bank, with no authority or approval. He is reprimanded, again. The Mayors office in NY hated Boks, which he admits in his own affidavit.
2. November 2005 right before Boks was fired from New York, he and the City are sued for unlawful termination. Seems Boks fired a black employee with years of experience so he could hire his white friend who had no experience but did have a criminal conviction in his past. Status: pending but City will lose.
3. Seniors 4 Seniors: The program was not approved yet Boks started it any way. He gets in trouble with Public Safety committee. Weiss, Zine yell at Boks telling him he must follow procedure. Boks takes the program down off the web. It would be two years until it was approved. His response, "easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."
4. Pit Bull Academy: Again, Boks starts a program with no approval. He has ex-cons working in the shelters for two weeks with dangerous pit bulls and releases news of his program, which is indeed news to personnel and city council. He is forced to end the program firing the ex-cons. The program was never approved due to major liability issues.
5. Kapparot: Boks states that the Jewish ritual kapparot is barbaric and loathsome. The ritual itself is fine. The only part that is barbaric is if they kill chickens in the ritual. Most Jews don't use chickens.
His original comment to the media was as follows:
In a message dated 9/28/2006 9:25:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time, edboks@hotmail.com writes:
"Some of our nation's healthiest animal husbandry practices and laws originated in the ancient traditions of the Torah. Nowhere is the barbaric practice of Kapparot even mentioned in the Torah. It is a loathsome pagan tradition that has been muddled into the sacred religious practices of a small Jewish sect. Kapparot should have no place in a civilized 21st Century Los Angeles community."
[Should I make a] Couple small changes? Any suggested edits? "
A rescuer replied: maybe get rid of barbaric and loathsome?
Later when Boks gets in trouble with the anti defamation league he lies and tells people that he never said that. He says that same employee made that up. Then he lies and says he fired the employee in response. No one was fired because no one wrote it but Boks.
6. Boks orders an employee to start a blog for him, laanimalfriends at eponym. In this blog Boks attacks rescuers, employees, councilmembers, activists and anyone who doesn't kiss his rear end. He releases bogus numbers, press releases and flat out lies. The Mayor's office tells him to stop the blog, yet he refuses. Ultimately even though he provided all content, direction and most of the text, he blames someone else for it.
7. Hooters for Neuters: He posted a provocative photo of a woman in a bikini top. When asked to change the flyer he flat out refused. He told insiders "the more fuss they make, the better!" Finally, days later he is forced to cancel the event, all because he wouldn't tone down a flyer. He told his friends "how about we write girls gone wild across her chest!" Laura Chick states that it demeans women. He counters with "she's just jealous because she has no boobs." Chick had a double mastectomy because of breast cancer.
8. After being fired from New York, Boks helps an activist sue the Department revealing confidential City information and defaming the Mayor, Commissioners and employees. He blames his failures in NY on everyone but himself. He had the exact same problems there, i.e. overcrowding, dying animals, fudged numbers, lying.
9. Boks faked his resume. He said he made Maricopa "nokill." He did not. When questioned he said he made one shelter nokill. He did not. There were only two shelters and an adoption only center. He finally admits that only the adoption only was nokill. It was not. They would take animals from that center back to the shelter, then kill them.
10. Boks dated many female rescuers in LA during all of 2006. He would promise them jobs if they just went out with him. Some went out with him and got jobs. Some refused him and instead were harassed and defamed.
11. He gave his ex-girlfriend, Pia Salk a $20,000 consulting gig which no one has seen and was never implemented.
12. He gave another friend a $30,000 volunteer dept consulting gig which was never utilized. The report basically told everyone what they already knew, i.e. volunteers are treated poorly and disrespected. The volunteer consultant then causes a few more volunteers to quit.
13. Boks and the City were sued for sexual harassment, unlawful termination and assault July 2007. Case is still pending.
14. Boks and the City were sued for what looks like a car accident in a City car. Case is still pending. Was alcohol involved? Boks is a known alcoholic.
15. Euthanasia has not gone down since Boks arrived. In fact it's gone up 37% even though they have new larger shelters, more money and more employees than ever before. This is the first time ever than euthanasia has not gone down. All previous shelter managers reduced euthanasia.
16. Animals dying on their own from illness and injury is up over 300% since he arrived from overcrowding even though intake is down.
17. 2.5x as many animals are dying in cage fights from overcrowding.
18. Twice as many animals are dead on arrival when intake overall is down. [My comment: Something fishy here, such as live animals come in, die and are marked DOA?]
19. Last year Boks refused unneutered feral cats and kittens to make his numbers look better. Most cats euthanized are feral or kittens. This year we have been over run by kittens, which are being killed in record numbers. Boks blames this on foreclosures even though it was from refusing unneutered animals which had babies.
20. Boks continues to release totally false news items such as "LA Animal Services is the largest adoption agency in the world!" It's not even the largest in Southern California. That would be LA County.
21. Boks makes up his statistics and numbers himself. Euthansia did not go down the first year here in LA. Then Boks took over the numbers duty from an employee. Amazingly, euthansia started to go down instantly. Even more amazingly it seems that kitten intake went down by over 30% instantly which is exactly equal to the reduction in euthanasia. Amazing coincidences. Not.
22. Councilmembers are concerned about these events and make motions to address them. Boks doesn't bother to respond to their motions.
23. Boks stated he would increase spay neuter surgeries from 56,000 to 150,000. [My comment: Ed told me that LAAS would do 20,000 S/N at each shelter by the end of 2008] Yes, he said that. In fact surgeries went from 44,000 (yes, he lied about the current number of surgeries) to just over 48,000.
24. Boks tells City Council LA will be nokill by 2008. Hello, it's almost 2009 and we're killing more than before.
25. February 2006 Boks swears he will increase dog licensing. Licensing has gone down not up.
26. Boks gathers a bunch of volunteers and employees to go vandalize the home of protestors who are picketing his house, Pam Ferdin, Jerry Vlasak, Tiffany Krog and Annette Stark. He asks the volunteers to make posters making these people look stupid and silly. Fortunately the employees refused to do it yet he made these requests in writing. [My comment: I can attest to this. I was in on the planning process. We were trying to find out where these people lived. It was at this point Boks was warned to back off bya City Attorney, and suddenly I became a fallguy.]
27. Boks asks an employee to get someone to beat up one of his detractors. Fortunately they refused but he also made this request in writing.
28. Boks asks a few women out. Some say yes, some say no. He decides to retaliate against the ones that said no by harassing and defaming them, in writing.
The Collected Works of Madison Barkley
.
Finally there is another public voice speaking up against Boks.
I know many, many of you out there share my desire to get rid of Ed to give the animals a chance.
The ADL has been magnificent regarding its exposes of Boks, as was a former blogger.
Now someone new has come a long with yet another PUBLIC but still anonymous voice. Guess Madison realized that being public is not the best thing for your reputation.
Anyway, thanks Madison, whoever you are.
http://www.sheltertrak.com/news_madisonbarkley.html#MB14
Finally there is another public voice speaking up against Boks.
I know many, many of you out there share my desire to get rid of Ed to give the animals a chance.
The ADL has been magnificent regarding its exposes of Boks, as was a former blogger.
Now someone new has come a long with yet another PUBLIC but still anonymous voice. Guess Madison realized that being public is not the best thing for your reputation.
Anyway, thanks Madison, whoever you are.
http://www.sheltertrak.com/news_madisonbarkley.html#MB14
Lets Turn the Old WLA Shelter Over to Non-Profit Hands
My in-shelter contacts tell me that the West LA old location may be open for single or multiple rescue organizations to take over operations there.
It is perfect for that purpose as that is what that location has been doing for years.
Remember, Winograd's favored model is having the Muni shelters to work hand in hand with private non-profits.
This is the model that worked in San Francisco and now in Reno, where not only do they have multiple rescue groups, they also have a large non-profit shelter. Ditto Ithaca N.Y.
I sent out an email to many regarding the above.
I received an email stating the Mayor wants to sell all excess property to balance the budget and Councilman Rosendahl wants it for low cost housing. The response also said the zoning would not permit the usage of the animal shelter as an animal shelter!
This assumes that the grandfathered zoning usage has a time limit to the duration of LAAS tenancy. It also assumes no variance is possible even though that has been its usage for many years. It also assumes that the kennel permit will not be granted by the Dept. which has the option to do so, as they set the conditions.
The location for the private groups that would operate the shelter is perfect. It is a dynamite location that is known for exactly the same purpose, the sheltering and adopting of animals.
It would be the case of publicly funded operation turned over to private group, who in turn could contract to BH or Culver, and thus have mixed public/private operation and funding.
With private funding, it would add essentially a seventh shelter (since the Mission shelter is not open to the public) with no public (LA City) expense, which is essential now given the recent, dramatic increase in City impounds.
This could decrease the burden on the City system by 10% or better, at no City expense, and would allow New Hope partners to adopt out hundreds or thousands more pets that otherwise would be killed.
There may be space available at other locations in the City, but none better than a venue already dedicated to the same usage with the infrastructure a new operation would require.
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