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Photo by PixieMe.<\/em><\/p>\n Chances are that if animal welfare is an important, if not the <\/em>most important, issue for you, you\u2019ve already voted by mail-in ballot for all or some of the candidates given top scores by No-Kill Long Beach\u2019s (NKLB) (formerly Stayin\u2019 Alive Long Beach) 2018 Animal Welfare Voter Information Guide<\/a>. Chances are that you disagree with some of the evaluations and have not, or you\u2019ve balanced the animal scores with other planks on the candidates\u2019 platforms.<\/p>\n The survey was taken to assess how well candidates line up in animal welfare and shelter reform. The 2018 NKLB guide is the third one that the organization has issued. The first was in 2014 before the mayoral election and the second before the 2016 council elections. The 2018 guide was created using a nine-question survey that asked candidates about their views on reforms necessary at the shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services<\/a> (ACS) to lead the city to no-kill status, i.e., not euthanizing healthy animals for the sake of space\u2014Los Angeles Animal Services<\/a> gives 90 percent as a benchmark.<\/p>\n The survey\u2019s questions included candidates\u2019 views about being proactive regarding animal-related issues, advocacy, reduction of euthanasia, management and the unique lease agreement that exists between ACS and spcaLA.<\/a> The survey also focused on the 173 short-term, long-term and best-practices recommendations described in Phase I of the shelter audit<\/a>. The questions, along with sample answers from former Fifth District candidate John Osborn, can be found at the link in the first paragraph.<\/p>\n The guide and explanations for the scoring can be accessed on the link above. The press release from NKLB said that more responses from other candidates were forthcoming, but I haven\u2019t been able to locate them. A request for these responses went unanswered.<\/p>\n How the Paws Are Placed<\/strong><\/p>\n Animal welfare is arguably the most emotionally charged issue anywhere, and it\u2019s important to be aware of candidates\u2019 views on it. NKLB spokesperson Patricia Turner, Ph.D. appears to be passionately dedicated to shelter-pet welfare; despite the fact that she hasn\u2019t lived in Long Beach for several years, she seems determinedly focused on ACS. But scores are arbitrary and don\u2019t always tell the entire story.<\/p>\n The candidates\u2019 scoring is listed below. Each candidate got a \u201cpaw\u201d rating\u2014one paw print per point, with four as the highest rating and zero as the lowest. The ratings are as follows:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n District 3<\/strong><\/p>\n Gordana Kajer: 3 Paws<\/p>\n Robert Savin: 2 Paws<\/p>\n Suzie Price: 0 Paws<\/p>\n <\/p>\n District 5<\/strong><\/p>\n Rich Dines: 2.5 Paws<\/p>\n Corliss Lee: 1.5 Paws<\/p>\n Stacy Mungo: 1.5 Paws<\/p>\n John Osborn: 1 Paw<\/p>\n <\/p>\n District 7<\/strong><\/p>\n Jared Milrad: 4 Paws<\/p>\n Kevin Shin: 2.5 Paws<\/p>\n Roberto Uranga: 1.5 Paws<\/p>\n Chris Sereno: 1 Paw<\/p>\n Oscar Delacruz: 0 Paws<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mayor’s Race<\/strong><\/p>\n James “Henk” Conn: 2.5 Paws<\/p>\n Robert Garcia: 1.5 Paws<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Comparing Paw-tentials <\/strong><\/p>\n There was one four-paw recipient: Jared Milrad, who\u2019s running for the District 7 council position. His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 reads like the Crown Prince of Animal Welfare\u2019s would\u2014if you wanted to be educated about animal issues from head to tail, you\u2019d want to take a seminar from him. Milrad is a lawyer who worked in the areas of human rights, civil rights and environmental protection. He\u2019s well aware that running as a candidate doesn\u2019t involve a one- or two-issue platform; his own includes environmental protection, promoting small businesses, alleviating homelessness and affordable housing, and balancing it all. He also describes a lifetime of standing up for animals, and that alone is worth a paw\u2014it generally starts young, with you schlepping home everything from wandering dogs to injured earthworms. Milrad told the Post <\/em>that he wants to champion practical ways of reducing pet overpopulation and educating the public about not only the effects spay\/neuter has on overpopulation but also the health and behavioral benefits for animals who have been altered.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are also effective ways to incentivize spay\/neuter programs, such as providing discounted or free collars and leashes, assistance with fence building for dogs, and access to training and obedience classes,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a last resort, license surcharges for unaltered pets and penalties for non-compliance can be considered.\u201d Surcharges and penalties are in fact in effect at ACS, but someone really needs to come up with a few ideas about how to get more people to fix their pets.<\/p>\n Milrad said that if elected, he looks forward to dialoguing with shelter management, pet advocates, community members and field experts to move the city toward no-kill and well-being for pets. His priorities include a comprehensive adoption program that includes off-site adoptions and public-friendly adoption hours; external partnerships to include fosters and volunteers; rehab programs for animals in need; spay\/ neuter and TNR (trap\/spay-neuter\/release) programs for community (stray and feral) cats; transparency and public-oriented web pages; creative marketing; and effective management.<\/p>\n It should be noted that ACS has done and continues to do offsite adoptions, and they have their own mobile vehicle. Adoptions are run through spcaLA, which is a bone of contention among advocates, and a shelter-based TNR program and a couple of free spay\/neuter programs also exist in Long Beach. However, there should indeed be more of same, and if Milrad can figure it out, it would be fantastic. There are no \u201cyes, buts\u201d here; he sounds like every advocate\u2019s dream and pretty up on balancing it with the city, too.<\/p>\n OK, there is one \u201cyes, but\u201d\u2014however, it has nothing to do with Milrad\u2019s qualifications. District 7 incumbent Roberto Uranga got a lowly 1.5-paw score. Survey commentary described him as having \u201cvery little interest in shelter animals while on City Council,\u201d but his cosponsorship with Friends of Long Beach Animals<\/a> of three mobile spay\/neuter clinics last year\u2014two at Silverado Park and one at Cherry Park\u2014and his community outreach efforts for awareness of the effects of firework noise on pets don\u2019t equate with \u201cvery little.\u201d True, you wouldn\u2019t call him the animal candidate, but his efforts are very strong in areas of social justice and community involvement.<\/p>\n No Longer Best in Show?<\/strong><\/p>\n If Milrad delivers what he\u2019s laid out, he deserves the points. But he isn\u2019t the first to have gotten the four paw prints, and if they don\u2019t pan out, NKLB will not be pleased. In 2014, then-candidate Robert Garcia got the coveted four points, along with Rosemary Chavez, who had an unsuccessful run for City Prosecutor. In its former incarnation of Stayin\u2019 Alive Long Beach, the organization said that Garcia \u201cdemonstrates insight, fairness and a willingness to examine shelter policies and data to make informed policy decisions. Long Beach voters can feel confident that Dr. Garcia will advocate for Long Beach\u2019s shelter animals in a way that will move the shelter toward a 90% save rate<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0This year, besides dropping the honorific from his name, NKLB said that in his four years as mayor, he failed to deliver on his promise to increase adoptions to the group\u2019s specifications and that the animals euthanized during those years could have been saved. They also gave the credit for decreased euthanasia to pressure from animal advocates.<\/p>\n Long Beach\u2019s animal community certainly has a lot to do with it, but Garcia hasn\u2019t been curled up on the carpet, either. He\u2019s been especially active in cat adoptions\u2014the Kitty Halls he\u2019d hosted resulted in all or nearly all of the pets going to homes. He also noted progressive measures such as the new Dog Play Yard (which has been fortified by costly Dogs Playing for Life\u00a0training<\/a>, provided by Friends of Long Beach Animals), and he noted that even though the euthanasia rate now is a quarter of what it was in 2013, He interprets ACS\u2019s continuous success with live release and dropping euthanasia rates.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to see the truth, just look at the statistics,\u201d he told the Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n Shelter statistics can be found on the ACS website<\/a>,\u00a0and they show a continuous increase in live release (adoptions, rescues, owner return) and a decrease in euthanasia. The euthanasia rate, in fact, is roughly a quarter of what it was in 2013.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nowhere near enough,\u201d Garcia added, an opinion shared by the animal-advocacy community at large. A number of local advocates aren\u2019t satisfied with how well the Mayor has kept his promises in working toward no-kill and have been increasingly taking off the gloves. Possibly in response to the pleas and demands for action, the Mayor plans to create a mayoral task force to help implement the shelter changes recommended by Phase I of the shelter audit, and he invites interested people to serve. I know people who are lined up already.<\/p>\n James \u201cHenk\u201d Conn, Mayor Garcia\u2019s opponent, garnered a 2.5-paw score. Conn\u2019s main platform is rent control and affordable rent; to his credit, he put in for a no-kill shelter on his campaign website and gave a thumbs-up to the advocacy and foster groups in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Long Beach loves its animals and we need to do everything we can to end the euthanasia programs to adopt animals,\u201d he stated on the website.<\/p>\n Naught for Nothing?<\/strong><\/p>\n In District 3, Gordana Kajer\u2019s three points are well earned. Kajer is a businesswoman and an environmental activist, and she\u2019s also a longtime animal activist. On her campaign page, she knits together issues such as neighborhood and community, climate change, land use, volunteerism and fiscal responsibility, and though it wasn\u2019t stated directly, she has been active in animal welfare. During a bucket-list trip to Cuba, she and her husband made a side trip to deliver veterinary supplies to Spanky Project<\/a> and wound up helping out at a spay\/neuter event and still support the organization.<\/p>\n She also said that the city auditor\u2019s recommendations need to be implemented not just for the pets but to preserve the public\u2019s trust, and in a separate interview with the Post<\/em> said that she has concerns over how the issues are being politicized. She believes that the resources do exist but aren\u2019t being managed correctly, and her experience in business could help.<\/p>\n \u201cMorally and ethically, animals should not be euthanized for controlling an animal population at the shelter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n So, why only three points instead of four?<\/p>\n \u201cHer stance that a larger budget is needed for a strong adoption program ignores the many low or no-cost audit recommendations (e.g., shifting shelter adoption hours to include some evening hours),\u201d the evaluation reads in seeming contradiction to the Post <\/em>interview.<\/p>\n Robert Savin received two paws for his observed compassion and interest but lack of specificity. Suzie Price received a goose egg because she chose not to turn in her survey. \u201cNo response\u201d would have been accurate; zero scores are for candidates who believe that animals have no souls and are best used as fertilizer. Luckily, there are none of these, and it certainly isn\u2019t true of Price. She cosponsored the Bixby Dog Park and two Fix Long Beach events<\/a>. She also cosponsored the Mandatory Spay\/Neuter Law\u00a0<\/a>with District 5\u2019s Stacy Mungo and former District 2 Councilmember Suja Lowenthal.<\/p>\n When she ran the first time in 2014, Price wasn\u2019t delighted with the tenor of the questions and wouldn\u2019t submit responses this time. She added that the comments made this time validated her decision not to participate.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly, if you don\u2019t agree with them 100%, they won\u2019t give you a fair shake, even when you opt out of their process,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don’t acknowledge any progress, and I stand by my own record to help the situation [at ACS].\u201d<\/p>\n District 5 incumbent Stacy Mungo feels pretty much the same. Mungo was given 1.5 paws for the \u201climited steps\u201d she\u2019s taken to improve shelter animals. These little steps include cosponsoring Mandatory Spay\/Neuter, assisting in the funding of another spay\/neuter clinic, securing an additional $50,000 above and beyond the budget allotment for the shelter, and actively participating in the Foster the Fourth program on July 4, temporarily housing a dog along with her own two Rottweilers until the fireworks had stopped blasting. Mungo\u2019s husband is a regular volunteer at ACS.<\/p>\n Mungo said that she didn\u2019t feel the need to defend herself, But Emily Ghosh, who is the president of Live Love Pet Care and Animal Rescue<\/a> and founder of Long Beach Animal Advocates<\/a> ((LBAA), had good words.<\/p>\n “Stacy and her husband, Scott, have contributed countless hours of support for the animals and LB Animal Care,\u201d Ghosh said. \u201cI\u2019m thankful she participated\u00a0in our Foster for the Fourth event and championed getting city adoptable dogs on Council agendas. Her support during the Long Beach Animal Advocates initial City Council appearances proved crucial to secure the additional $50,000 in funding in 2018 for our local shelter. No one knows better than our volunteers what needs to be done to improve Animal Care, and I know Stacy is the right person to champion these efforts with us!”<\/p>\n Photo by Good Man.<\/em><\/p>\n A Bone to Pick<\/strong><\/p>\n The lowest rating in District 5 was for former candidate John Osborn. Osborn was given one point for his \u201cunderdeveloped\u201d responses and \u201cminimal knowledge of the issues.\u201d As previously mentioned, Osborn\u2019s responses were the only sample responses provided on NKLB\u2019s website, so his responses can be read on the link.<\/p>\n Osborn wasn\u2019t pleased with his evaluation, either\u2014and he replied twice!<\/p>\n \u201cGetting one paw was an affront to me\u2014I don\u2019t think that Dakota and Arthur [Osborn\u2019s two dogs] would take it too kindly,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel alienated from this group [NKLB]\u201d<\/p>\n NKLB\u2019s survey had no questions regarding spaying and neutering pets, but Osborn brought it up independently, albeit somewhat haphazardly, in his second response to Question 2: \u201cOn a scale of 1 to 10, how important is the issue of increasing the number of animals saved at the Long Beach animal shelter to you?\u201d Osborn gave the response a 10, and then added, \u201cDo we have an ordinance restricting breeding?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI may not have answered the question directly,\u201d Osborn later told the Post<\/em>. \u201cThat was just how I felt. My answers are always going to come back to, what\u2019s the root cause? Why can\u2019t we fine some of these people for overbreeding? We shouldn\u2019t have to be volunteering our time! We need to enforce the ordinance!\u201d<\/p>\n Osborn\u2019s first response to the question was \u201cI don’t like needlessly euthanizing, I don’t know how anybody can look into the face of a domestic pet and harm it.\u201d He honestly admitted that he wasn\u2019t sufficiently educated about certain points such as his own regarding the agreement between spcaLA and ACS, but his answers were genuine and none were pat.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we need are more responsible pet owners.\u201d he told me. \u201cA pet is not a toy to be discarded\u2014it\u2019s a lifelong obligation for care. I think that overpopulation is due to people\u2019s irresponsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m with Dakota and Arthur. I don\u2019t think that Osborn deserved only one paw, either.<\/p>\n Accentuate the Pawsitive<\/strong><\/p>\n Long Beach is a big city with a lot of problems, issues and needs. The shelter isn\u2019t the only peg holding the tent up, but animal advocates\u2019 hearts lie primarily with the animals. Everything right with that\u2014few others speak up for them, and advocacy seems to be on the rise. The perceived golden boys (and girls) topping the survey could be the tin men (can\u2019t think of a gender-specific equivalent for a female, so I\u2019ll let it lie) in office. And low-scorers could do very well for animals when in office.<\/p>\n NKLB made a disclosure in the survey to not take the survey results as endorsements, but the results and description sure quacked like a duck. And why shouldn\u2019t they be? Newspapers endorse candidates as well.<\/p>\n My endorsement is for Long Beach\u2019s animal community, be they volunteers, shelter staff and volunteers, or advocacy group members. Points of agreement or disagreement notwithstanding, each has one thing in mind: the best outcome for every cat, dog and rabbit\u2014and often other animals\u2014in Long Beach. Animal advocates have all four feet on the ground, ready to pounce. They have night vision. They\u2019ll come barking and bellowing for great outcomes, and they have a voice that\u2019s getting louder and more effective daily. As sure as a bear does whatever it does in the woods and the cat has pajamas, these guys will hold every foot to the fire to deliver those outcomes, no matter who\u2019s elected. They have no agenda but animal welfare. Whether you\u2019re an officeholder, a City employee or an animal-loving resident, please, support them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The survey\u2019s questions included candidates\u2019 views about being proactive regarding animal-related issues, advocacy, reduction of euthanasia, management and the unique lease agreement that exists between Animal Care Services and spcaLA. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[68],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pets","tag-the-scratching-post","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Good-Man-Photo-970x645.jpeg\")
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