Breaking: Lawsuit against CA pound that “killed more animals than any other reporting shelter in the United States.”
“[A] lawsuit has been filed against Riverside County by local residents alleging negligence in the management of county animal shelters. The Walter Clark Legal Group in Rancho Mirage filed the suit, claiming the county has failed to comply with the Hayden Act, a California law designed to protect shelter animals… Attorney Dan Bolton highlighted that over 24,000 dogs and cats have been euthanized [killed] in the past two years, many of which were reportedly adoptable. The suit also cites instances of poor living conditions for animals within the shelters.”
According to the Petition for Writ of Mandate filed in California’s Superior Court,
“The photographs above were taken by a community member visiting the San Jacinto facility of [Riverside County Department of Animal Services] RCDAS. What she saw was appalling — the dog in the picture on the left had been dead for some period of time and the dog pictured on right was laying on an excrement-covered floor with more excrement on the dog’s body…
“These disturbing photographs of animal cruelty are emblematic of the fundamental failings and pervasive deficiencies, the inertia and inaction, of RCDAS and its Director, [Erin] Gettis. RCDAS under the direction of Gettis is plagued with lack of leadership, mismanagement, budget opacity, disdain for the health and safety of animals in its custody, disinterest in working with the community and rescue organizations to place animals in homes, inertia in moving to adopt no kill policies, and a focus on killing, rather than saving, dogs and cats. This must stop.”
“Animals should be treated ‘kindly,’ as required by law, and not, as RCDAS treats them, in dirty kennels, under inhumane conditions, subject to being killed in a helter-skelter manner and placed in barrels to be disposed.”
Petitioners allege that these conditions are not an aberration. Instead, they represent,
“[A] shocking, callous, and ongoing failure to follow California law by RCDAS and Gettis, who has referred to the Hayden Act — the well-established and controlling statutory scheme regulating animal shelters — as nothing more than ‘legalese’... that she does not have ‘to dwell on.’”
Petitioners further allege that,
“The annual budget of RCDAS for fiscal year 2023/2024 is $39,138,743.00. This is an almost $17,000,000.00 increase over fiscal year 2022/2023. Instead of allocating that money to the care and welfare of the animals to which it is entrusted and facilitating their adoption to the public and rescue organizations, RCDAS and Gettis use the money to inflate upper management salaries and spend it in ways that are opaque, at best, and do nothing to proactively move RCDAS to a no kill facility.”
Petitioners also state that,
“RCDAS cuts costs by carrying out a policy to kill healthy, adoptable animals, instead of spending resources feeding, caring for and housing them, and hiring sufficient personnel to perform those duties and veterinary services, and ensuring that the animals are adopted in the community or through animal rescue organizations.”
Given these allegations, it is hardly surprising that the Riverside County pound “killed more animals than any other reporting shelter in the United States,” according to other reports.
“The lawsuit calls for the removal of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis and demands a forensic audit of the animal services budget and data records, questioning the allocation of the department’s $39 million budget.”
Petitioners also call for RCDAS to “follow — not evade — the applicable law.”
Finally, petitioners demand that,
“[T]he No Kill Equation — a set of simple and straightforward elements, developed by Nathan Winograd of the No Kill Advocacy Center, that when implemented comprehensively in animal shelters can eliminate the killing of healthy or treatable animals — must be adopted by RCDAS, just as it has been in communities, large and small, urban and rural, wealthy and less wealthy, throughout the country.”
The petitioners are Alan Woodruff, David Kirk, Lisa Blodgett, and Tiffani Lobue.
The respondents are Erin Gettis (in her official capacity as Director of Riverside County Department of Animal Services), Riverside County Department of Animal Services, and Riverside County.
Respondents have “30 days to respond to these allegations, and officials have yet to provide an official statement.”
September 8 update:
The director of the Riverside County pound has been removed from her position. She has been put in charge of county hospitals.