Thank You, Friends of the Animals. Now We Can Race Ahead with Licensing and Micro-Chipping.

First, a little background is in order.

On June 16, the City Council voted to transfer $20,000 (in funding previously identified and approved for canvassing in fiscal year 2007-08) with additional funding in the amount of $109,190 from the General Fund Reserve for an Animal Control Officer program in fiscal year 2008-09.

In other words, the City Council chose to take money away from canvassing that would have increased the number of animal licenses (more revenue) and micro-chipped pets (greater number of pets being reunited with their owners), and borrowed $109,000 from the city’s reserve to fund the position this fiscal year. In essence, they cut revenue, reduced the number of pets being reunited with their owners and jeopardized animal safety, and borrowed from what is essentially the city’s rainy day reserve. This, on top of the $68,000 we currently pay Los Angeles County for services.
On the surface this may not look like a good idea, but there is a happy ending.

This past Monday night, something special happened. I heard dozens of individuals stand up and discuss the need to get away from the Carson shelter. Every single verbal and written comment was in favor of getting out of Carson and moving sheltering services to the spcaLA in Hawthorne. Clearly, the conditions in Carson are horrific, as evidenced by the photos presented that night and from several previous media reports.

A Bow to the County, Too

Next, Los Angeles County representatives stood up and said yes to Culver City. They agreed to transport all animals to the spcaLA shelter in Hawthorne. The county had done it! The issue had been resolved. Culver City animals will get away from the Carson shelter and be transported to a more humane shelter.

We can now cut the $129,000 of new expenditures from the General Fund for a new animal control program out of the budget. This is especially good in these challenging economic times.

The outstanding volunteers of the Friends of the Culver City Animals are now free to focus their energy on canvassing each household in the city of Culver City to assist with ensuring every animal is licensed and micro-chipped. This will save us all thousands of dollars, generate revenue, and ensure the safety and well-being of Culver City animals.

And with the revenue generated by the Friends of Culver City Animals’ efforts, we will begin to catch-up on the huge backlog of infrastructure improvements, such as our parks, playgrounds and streets.

Again, I extend my thanks to Los Angeles County for agreeing to solve the problem by transporting the animals to the spcaLA shelter and to the Friends of Culver City Animals for their generosity, in what appears to be the obvious next step, in spending the many hours of volunteering their time to ensure every animal is licensed and micro-chipped.