In response to my speaking in front of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors about desiring to get an interview for the managerial position at Carson, Marcia Mayeda recently sent out a totally bunk letter attempting to address the numerous issues that I raised. Below is my response to her reassurances that she very likely sent to each Supervisor. Please now continue sharing and signing the petition, as I want it to be a representation of people’s expression, regardless of whether they continue rejecting my application or not.

Response to Marcia Mayeda on 10/16/2014 by swaylove

Before the majority of the Pasadena City Council (Madison, Gordo, Masuda, McAustin, Bogaard) plows forward on a mandatory spay and neuter law for all dogs and cats, they should look at the miniscule amounts of money that the Pasadena Humane Society are spending (or not spending) on “spay and neuter programs” and “education” up to this point. Because they routinely end up with a budget that is more than $10 million per year and carry assets that amount to over $26 million. For example, in 2011 their 990 shows that they only spent $50,307 on spay and neuter programs and another $3,829 on educational programs.

Uh oh. Well gee, if you’d attended any of the City Council meetings and listened to PHS representatives Steve McNall or Elizabeth Campo speak then you would have came away with the assumption that they are doing everything that they possibly can to lower shelter killing, provide affordable and accessible sterilization surgeries, and educate the public. Unfortunately, the realities go pretty much against that narrative and thus against what the City Council are being told and/or led to believe… Those figures amounted to spending less than 0.006% of their yearly $10 million on spay and neuter and 0.0003% on education.

In 2011 President Steve McNall alone made almost 3x ($152,336) what the PHS spent on sterilization efforts for that entire year. That’s more than 39x what they spent on educational outreach! Another point, the “revenue” that is being brought in by spending those allocated amounts on spay/neuter and education is routinely TRIPLE what they put into the programs… So they are making money by voluntarily spaying and neutering, and by doing the little amount of educating that they are doing. Why wouldn’t they be doing it more, and allocating more efforts and funds into those directions? Their return from 2012 shows much of the same proportionally.

Now I’m not suggesting here that McNall should take a pay cut, or anyone else, but rather that they should be putting far more money into accessible sterilization efforts as well as educational efforts. That’s not too much to ask. Especially when they are so quick to trot out the multiple sob stories about how much they are already doing, the lack of funding that they may run into when asked to do more, and the overwhelming need for this law in order to curb alleged overpopulation. What need? The Council was not talking about this law. They shot this same piece of legislation down less than a year ago. This is only now being reinserted as to allow Councilman Steve Madison an opportunity to save face, after his desire to scapegoat all Pit Bulls was resoundingly rebuffed by the community. Councilwoman Margaret McAustin, as told to me by an attendee at the last meeting, stated privately that she “just wants something” to be done. Nice. So whether it’s BSL or BSL-MSN or MSN, what’s clear is that most on this Council have no desire to simply hold individual owners accountable for the actions of their individual dogs.

On June 20th of this year the Carson shelter manager Gil Moreno abruptly “resigned” from his position. 5 days later the managerial position was publicly posted on the county’s website (bulletin #15533BR). It’s still posted as an active and open position as we speak.

Around the first week of July I created a 10 minute video explaining all of the ways that I’d run the shelter differently than Mr. Moreno. With that, I also started a petition to have the county of Los Angeles consider me as his replacement. I officially applied for the position on July 22nd and was given the reference #4548409.

On July 31st I received a letter from the department rejecting my application. It stated that I was “not qualified” due to not having 4 years of experience as a level 4 animal control officer. Upon logging back into the county’s website it actually showed a submission status of “application not accepted” as of July 23rd, 1 day after I applied for the position.

Then on September 23rd, 2 months after Marcia Mayeda decided to not even consider my application, people who had actually taken the time to write into the department from back in July (in support of my candidacy) received a letter from Mayeda. It thanked them for their recommendation and told them that I was “welcome to apply,” as the DACC does not solicit candidates. But I did apply, on July 22nd, and my application was officially discarded the very next business day.

So I ask: Can someone outside of the system, outside of the paradigm of doing as little as possible, even score an interview for this position? How does a draconian L.A. County shelter system change if they simply and repetitively hire from within that same entrenched system?

Coincidentally, or not, my 2013 application to become an unpaid volunteer of the Carson shelter was rejected as well. They used the exact same language in the rejection letter and stated that my application was “not accepted.” This, after waiting over 7 months to even hear anything back from them. Shortly after I applied my girlfriend was fired from her volunteer position. The reason? For taking different dogs into the play yard.

Sadly, many who have had their departmental positions protected by the Board of Supervisors continue to behave themselves in the most non-transparent, retaliatory, and obstructionist of ways. At some point I sincerely hope that they become genuinely concerned about this apathetic and vindictive behavior.

Help Josh get the word out about his willingness to fill the newly vacated position of running the Carson shelter in Gardena, California.

Who to email?
mmayeda@animalcare.lacounty.gov, areyes@animalcare.lacounty.gov, info@lacountyanimals.org, plearned@animalcare.lacounty.gov, dreagan@animalcare.lacounty.gov, molina@bos.lacounty.gov, markridley-thomas@bos.lacounty.gov, seconddistrict@bos.lacounty.gov, zev@bos.lacounty.gov, don@bos.lacounty.gov, fifthdistrict@lacbos.org, info@lacounty.gov, njenkins@bos.lacounty.gov, djordan@bos.lacounty.gov, lrichardson@bos.lacounty.gov, brobinson@bos.lacounty.gov, amjohnson@bos.lacounty.gov, kkatona@bos.lacounty.gov.

Where to call?
213-974-1311 or 213-974-2222.

You can also sign a petition HERE.

So this past week I was watching Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and there was a story that Andrea Kremer did on NFL cheerleaders that I found especially interesting, mostly because of the system structure and how I found it to be eerily paralleled with that of the shelter and rescue worlds. Bear with me as I lay this out and then I’ll get to my point soon enough, if you won’t already have seen it coming for yourselves…

Kremer interviewed Lacy, a girl who’s been cheerleading her entire life and is now a member of the Oakland Raiderettes, cheerleading squad for the Oakland Raiders. Her 2013 Raiderette agreement outlined how they’d be paying her a paltry $125 for each home game. Lacy stated that in the moment that was a secondary concern compared to the excitement that she felt after making the team…

So I get the contract and it’s like, where do I sign? I was over the moon.

Being a former cheerleader for the Golden State Warriors, Lacy viewed this Raider job as the pinnacle of her profession. Andrea Kremer described her life as “young women growing up wanting to be them and grown women fighting every year wanting to join them.” It was made abundantly clear that there were an endless array of girls lined up and waiting to fill any void left by someone who may have taken issue with any portion of the job. Regarding the lackluster money, keep in mind that the Oakland Raiders payroll is close to $125 million per season and the NFL is both the most popular and wealthiest sports league on the planet.

With the season now behind her it’s detailed how they practiced 3x a week, did 9 months worth of photo shoots and team meetings, as well as 9 months worth of workouts. They were paid for none of this. Each girl made barely over $1,000 for the entire season, much of which was soon gone because they had to come out of pocket for all of their own expenses (hosery, eye lashes, makeup, tanning, nails, amongst other things). Lacy soon learned that this wasn’t the exception but practically the rule for all of the other NFL teams as well…

You don’t make money. You’re better off serving beer and hot dogs in the concession stand than you are performing on the field as a cheerleader.

Then we meet Alyssa and Maria, 2 members of the Buffalo Jills, who cheerlead for the Buffalo Bills. They didn’t even get paid for their home games. They both went into debt to cheer, 1 girl using her student loan money to pay for the $650 uniform. These girls had to routinely perform a “jiggle test,” equating to jumping jacks in very little clothing, so that their coaches could see if their body was “tight enough” to be on television. Either Alyssa or Maria (it wasn’t made clear in the piece) actually failed 1 of the jiggle tests and they were actually held back from cheering for numerous games…

We’re just thinking, who are we to question this contract? We just made the Bills cheerleading squad.

They spoke about how the squad leaders wanted “total control.” Some of the “glamour requirements” that are present in the Buffalo Jills handbook speak to such an accusation…

11) Never use a deodorant or chemically enhanced product. Simple, non-deodorant soap will help maintain the right PH balance for your vagina.

12) When menstruating, use a product that is right for your menstrual flow. A tampon too big can irritate and develop fungus. A product left in too long can cause bacteria or fungus build up. Products should be changed at least every 4 hours.

14) Do not be overly opinionated about anything. Do not complain about anything.

Other requirements for the Jills ran the gamut of having to attend fundraisers in skimpy clothes, getting auctioned off at these events and then having to ride golf carts around while sitting on the laps of men, and being routinely groped and touched in unwelcome ways. This exchange was both obvious and sad…

The glamour requirements, is it really about how you insert a tampon? What do you think it all comes down to? Control. Why do it? For the love of cheering.

The cheerleading squads, which are owned or contracted out by the teams and not the league, generally make below minimum wage. By contrast, the team mascot usually makes between $35,000 and $65,000 a season. Lacy is now suing the Oakland Raiders for failure to pay minimum wage…

I just felt I had to do it, no one’s done it. What if no one ever does it?

This has prompted more lawsuits (Bengals, Jets, Buccaneers, Bills), and Alyssa and Maria are part of the lawsuit that’s currently going forward against the Buffalo Bills and its squad manager Stephanie Matheson. Here’s how Matheson views the situation…

These girls were never made to do anything they never wanted to do. We were creating a team of well-rounded young ladies and they could have resigned at any time. They are told right up front what is expected of them. If you think it’s going to be too much you don’t have to do it.

Matheson said that she oversaw and ran the cheerleading squad by herself, and with no financial support from the Bills, which is why she didn’t have any resources to actually pay her cheerleaders. The Buffalo Bills lawsuit has “forced” Matheson to suspend the entire Jills team “indefinitely.”

Shockingly, the Raiders and the Bills, as well as the NFL, declined to be interviewed for the segment. Also worth note: This season the NFL will allow fans to use their cell phones to order up cheerleaders to their seats. WTF!? -Dead-

Now before I go into the many directions that my brain was firing on while watching, why has no NFL franchise player put a stop to this/shined a light on this? Someone making $20 million a season could easily bankroll his entire franchise’s cheerleading squad for the year and probably receive the world’s most powerful PR while doing it. How has this not happened? Maybe because they’d embarrass their team/employer? But I mean, this entire story is embarrassing! Also, allowing drunk fans to order cheerleaders to their seats? Wow. Just wow. Anyways…

So, after reading #14 from the Jills handbook you should probably know where I’m going with this… “Do not be overly opinionated about anything. Do not complain about anything.” This type of a statement always seems to coincidentally find its way into shelter volunteer applications and rescue partner “contracts,” as well as other types of papered agreements that serve to grant people a certain level of access. This could not be a bigger red flag.

Viewing the story as a whole, the normal question is WHY? Of course, why would you put up with x, y and z? Well, the girls already answered that and I think their answer would serve to represent many other people (in many other forums) as well. Love. Love for whatever you may be interested in.

With that, if people truly love something, anything, why must others sometimes feel the need to take advantage of them while holding what they desire in front of their nose like a carrot? This is so relative to the sheltering system. Do you know how many people enter their jobs with great attitudes and aspirations, only to be desensitized and covered in red tape? You shouldn’t have to shear off half of your principles just to do something that you love. That goes for anything. You shouldn’t have to make internal deals with your conscience in order to justify staying around for the access to the animals. The access is the cheerleading job in this parallel.

Just as potent, animal rescuers have all the dirt on the most poorly run shelters, not compassionate managers, and blatant violations of basic operating procedures. Yet many will not talk. Why? Because they have a certain level of access and they don’t want to be retaliated against, thus having their access taken away. Some are surely shills for the system, but many others dislike whatever system but have made an internal barter of silence in order to save as many animals as they can save. I totally understand this point of view! It makes perfect sense to me. But it also allows the injustices to keep happening, and that can’t be ignored in the context of how do we change (insert here) system. Why doesn’t a cheerleader for the Raiders rock the boat? Because there’s 500 other girls who would gladly take her place. To hell with feminism and women’s rights, proper pay, decent work conditions or general respect. That’s why.

Some will say: “Well, they signed the contract.” To that I say, so what? Wrongs are wrongs, violations are violations, indecency is indecency. None of that gets repackaged or justified simply because you “signed a contract” not to say anything. To hell with that cowardice, minion way of thinking.

Speaking of minions…

In this HBO segment Stephanie Matheson represents herself like a total sellout in every aspect. Her flippant and dismissive attitude of compartmentalization and abandonment of any cause is quite literally what’s wrong with this country. Way to lead by example Matheson! Dismissive literally defines her person… Telling the girls that they could leave at any time, and that they know “what is expected” from them. What do you think goes into the process of interviewing/hiring someone to be an animal control officer with the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control? Hmm. Then, when her girls get the courage to file a lawsuit attempting to address the many wrongs that they all face (including Matheson), Matheson fails to stand beside them and instead suspends them indefinitely! Sound familiar? I know Carson shelter volunteers that have been forced out, just like I know Rancho Cucamonga volunteers that have been forced out, and this isn’t a rare concept. Control.

This is unacceptable behavior. Everything about how a shelter SHOULD work is disgraced by the way that the Carson shelter treats their temperament testing process. For Pit Bulls especially, this is a disastrous reality when a dog has to wait 2 weeks or longer for their damned temperament test to be done. That means they are waiting to pass, which would then allow them to finally come out of their cage to be walked or played with! Pit Bulls are locked down and treated as off-limit entities until they pass this stupid test. And then for the ones that are lucky enough to get one requested, staff takes weeks to do it! This defines apathy and carelessness to the highest degree.

On Friday Carson shelter manager Gil Moreno abruptly resigned from his position at the shelter. This comes a few months after the shakeup at Baldwin Park, where then manager Lance Hunter resigned from his position to go join the ASPCA. Since that time it seems that the highest of decision makers at Baldwin Park are reversing course and moving in a backwards fashion. Ric Browde made this statement on his blog back in May…

This week despite having over 30 empty kennels on May 10th, the shelter staff was being ordered to kill. Adoptable dogs were being given deadly Marcia Mayeda cocktails and staff and volunteer morale plummeted as the number of barrels full of pet carcasses inside the shelter’s freezers soared.

^This matches what I personally witnessed at the Carson shelter when I was there to visit with and photograph the dogs on June 4th, counting 39 empty kennels and then coming to find out that they were still killing that morning.

With Moreno’s tenure over, Alonzo Real will now become acting shelter manager until a replacement can be found and hired. I’d like to formally throw my hat into the ring as someone who would be extremely interested in partnering with whatever new leadership they bring on, but this seems extremely unlikely considering Marcia Mayeda and L.A. County rejected my application to become a volunteer due to what they called an “ongoing conflict with the department.” That’s another way of saying that if I’m not set on being a shill for a horribly run system, that they don’t need my help, free or otherwise.

They also forced my girlfriend out of the volunteer system, due to her refusing to sign a selectively enforced document written only for her that mandated that she adhere to an in-house breed-specific policy that goes against everything just and decent for the dogs. Prior to this she was “suspended” for taking out Pit Bulls that had not yet been temperament tested, which is a complete racket considering most of their Pit Bulls never even get temperament tested (to the few that eventually do, it routinely takes staff over a week to do them after it’s been requested), and thus, sit in their cages without interaction until they are killed.

So why did Gil resign? Was he going to be fired? Was his resignation just a move to save his pension? All questions without any on the record answers. What I do know is that in my 3+ years of visiting the Carson shelter I’ve never seen a poorer run place. The foundation of control, prejudice, vindictiveness and retaliation has defined my coverage of this shelter. It will forever be encapsulated on this website.

Moreno aside, the crux of any argument made against any L.A. County shelter will always lead back to its atrociously entrenched director Marcia Mayeda. She’s the one that’s been most deserving of being fired for well over a decade, and instead was just shockingly given a raise in 2014. You can blame the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for that one. Last month the interim job at the Baldwin Park shelter was given to Gayle Miley, who proceeded to immediately alienate volunteers in a myriad of ways. Worse, Marcia Mayeda has since hired the infamous Pat Claerbout of the Stockton animal shelter to take over at Baldwin, signifying her continued desire of reorganizing deck chairs on the Titanic.

To close, I will attach my last exchange with Gil, which gives insight into 1 gigantic misstep that ended up costing a wonderful dog his life. How many times this shit happened without anyone there to recognize it, document it, raise hell on the dog’s behalf, we will never know…

Email exchange with Gil Moreno on 6/2014 by swaylove

On the morning of 6/4/2014 the Carson shelter opted to kill Brownie (#A4709410) while he had a CTA in place and an adopting family that would show up onsite hours later to get him. That same day I was at the shelter and counted 39 empty kennels. The excuse given for why he was euthanized? He was “sick.”

Upon trying to further research PETA last night I came across a 2001 Daily Press article from Newport News, Virginia that exemplifies the environment at which many of these entrenched players have continued to somehow stay relevant. It reminds me of Los Angeles, it reminds me of lots of places that I read about. Much of this type of a system is broken.

Surry County officials this week put 18 Pit Bulls to sleep, more than 5 months after officials seized them from a Surry County man believed to be involved in dogfighting.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had been closely watching the case, praised county officials for putting the dogs out of their misery.

‘I’m just relieved that they will never be forced to fight again,’ said Daphna Nachminovitch, a caseworker for the group. ‘It’s finally over.’

The case against Ben Butts, who has faced a variety of felony and misdemeanor charges of training dogs for fighting, came to an end last week with the signing of a pact on February 7th. Commonwealth’s Attorney General Poindexter agreed that the county wouldn’t pursue charges against Butts if he wouldn’t train dogs for sport or show for the next 5 years.

Authorities seized 33 dogs from Butts during a September 6th raid on his home. But 10 dogs impounded in Suffolk animal shelter all died, and 4 housed in Isle of Wight County animal shelter were stolen a few days later.

In December, a General District Court judge dismissed charges against Butts because officers learned about the dogs only after conducting a previous drug raid on the property without a search warrant.

With the agreement, Butts took one dog, Bozo, home, claiming in court that it was a house pet that belonged to his daughter.

Animal Control Officer Derrick Moore put the remaining 18 dogs to sleep Wednesday and Thursday.

So we have a dogfighting bust, where 18 dogs are seized and apparently not given any option of rehabilitation, instead being held for 5 months and eventually killed at the behest of an “animal welfare” group that nefariously lobbies for incrementally phasing out every Pit Bull in the United States. The alleged perpetrator of the fighting mess then signs a pact that states that he’ll stay away from dogs for the next 5 years. Why a pact? Because the department illegally raided his house without a warrant and they needed to cut a deal to save their case. Then 14 of the 33 dogs that were seized either die or go missing under, and all while under the care of 2 separate shelters. No further explanation or investigation follows that. Then they let the pact-signer, who is allegedly a dog fighter, take 1 of the dogs home. Then they kill the rest of the dogs and PETA claims they “hated” advocating for the dogs death, yet that’s what they ultimately chose to do in the face of doing anything else. To top everything off, Gerald Poindexter (Commonwealth’s Attorney General) was the same bumbling cronie that was involved throughout the Michael Vick fiasco of 2007. Gerald fucking Poindexter!!

The Amanda Foundation gives an incredible spay and neuter presentation at the Los Angeles Animal Services Commission meeting on 4/22/2014. It is truly free. No zip codes, no vouchers, no hoops to jump.