1/29/2008 Board of Supervisors meeting

From the 1/29/2008 Board of Supervisors meeting transcript, it appears that Toni Eakes is as responsible as Marcia Mayeda for the fiasco that occured on Ivan Callais' property.

http://lacounty.info/BOS/SOP/TRANSCRIPTS/01-29-08%20Board%20Meeting%20Transcript.pdf

MARCIA MAYEDA: THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR BURKE. THE DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL ACTIVELY MONITORED THE CARE OF ANIMALS AT A RANCH ON 70TH STREET WEST IN LANCASTER FOR THE PAST YEAR. OUR OFFICERS HAVE CONDUCTED OVER 30 INSPECTIONS AT THIS PROPERTY, SOMETIMES WITH THE DEPARTMENT VETERINARIAN TO EXAMINE THE ANIMALS ON THE PROPERTY. THE DEPARTMENT DENIED THE OWNER'S APPLICATION FOR AN ANIMAL FACILITY LICENSE, ISSUED TWO CITATIONS, AND ORDERED HIM TO DEPOPULATE THE ANIMALS. WE PERMITTED HIM TO RELEASE ANIMALS TO AN ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION CALLED "A WISH FOR ANIMALS," WHOSE PRESIDENT IS TONI EAKES. MS. EAKES REGULARLY REMOVED ANIMALS FOR PLACEMENT THROUGH HER ORGANIZATION. WHENEVER OFFICERS NOTICED ANIMALS THAT WERE UNWELL, THEY ORDERED MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR THE ANIMALS AND ENSURED IT WAS PROVIDED, PERMITTED THE RELEASE OF THE ANIMALS TO MS. EAKES, OR REMOVED THE ANIMALS FROM THE PROPERTY AND INTO DEPARTMENT CUSTODY. OFFICERS ONLY SEIZED ANIMALS UNDER EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES OR PURSUANT TO A SEARCH WARRANT. WHENEVER ANIMALS IN NEED OF FURTHER CARE WERE DISCOVERED, THE OWNER WILLINGLY RELEASED THE ANIMALS TO US OR THE RESCUE ORGANIZATION, WHICH PRECLUDED THE NEED FOR SEIZING THE ANIMALS. USING A SEARCH WARRANT TO REMOVE OVER 200 ANIMALS WOULD HAVE OVERWHELMED THE LANCASTER ANIMAL SHELTER AND WAS NOT OUR PREFERRED OPTION. BY CLOSELY MONITORING THE ANIMALS ON SITE AND OVERSEEING THEIR REMOVAL, THE GOAL OF REMOVING ALL THE ANIMALS WAS BEING MET. IN MID-DECEMBER, THE OWNER RELEASED CUSTODY OF ALL ANIMALS TO A WISH FOR ANIMALS. MS. EAKES REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER RESCUE AGENCIES. SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS FELL INTO DISAGREEMENT WITH MS. EAKES AND January 29, 2008 RELEASED PRESS RELEASES THAT CONCERNED MANY PEOPLE, SOME OF WHOM MAY HAVE CONTACTED YOUR OFFICES. HOWEVER, THE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSELY MONITORING THE CARE OF THE ANIMALS DURING THIS PROCESS. AND AS OF LAST FRIDAY, ALL OF THE ANIMALS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE PROPERTY. I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THIS SITUATION.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: SUPERVISOR ANTONOVICH, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS?

SUP. ANTONOVICH: HOW ARE WE REALLY GOING TO GET A HANDLE ON THIS?

MARCIA MAYEDA: I'M SORRY? GET A HANDLE ON ANIMAL HOARDERS IN GENERAL? WELL, ANIMAL HOARDING IS A MENTAL ILLNESS, AND IT'S OFTEN LINKED WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER. IT'S A VERY CHRONIC PROBLEM. PEOPLE WHO ARE ANIMAL HOARDERS HAVE ABOUT 100 PERCENT RECIDIVISM. THE STANDARD PROCEDURE WOULD BE TO INVESTIGATE AND REMOVE THE ANIMALS, PROSECUTE WHEN POSSIBLE, BECAUSE CONVICTIONS CAN REQUIRE MANDATORY PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING. AND THAT'S ONE OF OUR GOALS, IS TO GET PEOPLE THAT HAVE THIS DISORDER INTO TREATMENT. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE RECIDIVISM RATE SO HIGH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THEM REVERT TO THEIR OLD BEHAVIORS AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF MONITORING AND January 29, 2008 ENFORCEMENT, HOPEFULLY GETTING A STRONG PROBATION ORDER TO PREVENT THEM FROM HAVING ANIMALS.

SUP. ANTONOVICH: HAS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY BEEN HELPFUL?

MARCIA MAYEDA: THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL. THEY ESTABLISHED AN ANIMAL CRUELTY DIVISION LAST YEAR, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THAT UNIT. AND THEY HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ALL OF OUR CASES.

SUP. ANTONOVICH: AND WE ARE RAPIDLY ABLE TO RESCUE THOSE ANIMALS AND GIVE THEM THE PROPER TREATMENT AND PROCEED VERY QUICKLY WITH PROSECUTION?

MARCIA MAYEDA: YES, YES. WE'VE ALWAYS, WHEN THE NEED HAS ARISEN TO REMOVE ANIMALS, WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE THAT. SOMETIMES OVER 300 ANIMALS AT A TIME. SEVERAL YEARS AGO WE REMOVED OVER 300 CHIHUAHUAS FROM A HOME IN ACTON. ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, THERE WERE ABOUT 350 DOGS FROM A HOME EL MONTE. IT CONTINUES, UNFORTUNATELY. BUT WHEN THE NEED ARISES, WE CAN PULL OUR RESOURCES TOGETHER AND HELP THE ANIMALS.

SUP. ANTONOVICH: AND THE BEST OFFENSE FOR THIS TYPE IS TO HAVE CITIZEN REPORTING OF THESE TYPES OF ABUSES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE SO THAT THE DEPARTMENT KNOWS HOW TO RESPOND?

MARCIA MAYEDA: YES. WE ALWAYS ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REPORT ANY ANIMAL ABUSE OR NEGLECT SO THAT WE CAN REACT AND RESPOND APPROPRIATELY AND PROMPTLY.

SUP. ANTONOVICH: WHY DON'T YOU GIVE YOUR NUMBER ONCE AGAIN SO THAT PEOPLE LISTENING ON TELEVISION WILL KNOW THAT NUMBER. IF THERE IS ANIMAL ABUSE, THEY CAN CALL YOUR OFFICE.

MARCIA MAYEDA: THEY CAN CALL 562-728-4610.

SUP. ANTONOVICH: THEY CAN ALSO ADOPT AN ANIMAL BY CALLING THAT NUMBER, AS WELL.

MARCIA MAYEDA: THAT'S RIGHT.

SUP. ANTONOVICH: THANK YOU.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: I'D LIKE TO CALL UP TONI EAKES. WILL YOU PLEASE COME FORWARD?

TONI EAKES: HELLO.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: YES. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME.

TONI EAKES: MY NAME IS TONI EAKES, AND I'M THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF "A WISH FOR ANIMALS."

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: DID YOU HAVE A STATEMENT YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE?

TONI EAKES: I DO. I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF COMMENT ON WHAT MARCIA WAS SAYING. WE ACTUALLY ARE THE GROUP THAT CAME UPON THIS HOARDER, PROBABLY ALMOST A YEAR AGO. AND THERE WERE WELL OVER 300 DOGS THERE AND FARM ANIMALS AND CATS. WE DID CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT. THEY WERE AWARE OF IT AND HAD BEEN WORKING WITH IT TRYING TO GET -- HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER IT. THE ANIMALS WERE NOT IN HORRIFIC SHAPE LIKE IT'S BEEN REPORTED. IT WAS ACTUALLY FAIRLY CLEAN. THEY HAD FOOD AND WATER. THERE WERE JUST WAY TOO MANY ANIMALS. SO WE STEPPED IN AND ASKED HIM AND STARTED TO GET HIM TO TRUST US AND OUR GROUP SO THAT WE COULD ADOPT OUT BECAUSE HOARDERS DO NOT ADOPT OUT. IT'S A NUMBER TO THEM. THE MORE THEY HAVE, THE MORE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE. BUT HE STARTED TO WORK WITH US AND LET US ADOPT OUT ANIMALS. AND WE WERE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE DEPARTMENT. WITHIN TWO OR THREE MONTHS, THINGS STARTED TO GO DOWNHILL THERE, WHERE WE NEEDED TO STEP IN A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH ANIMAL CONTROL AND KEEP A VERY TIGHT -- BASICALLY WHAT WE WERE DOING IS, ANY TIME THERE WAS A SICK ANIMAL OR A HURT ANIMAL, IF HE DIDN'T LET US TAKE IT, WE WOULD CALL ANIMAL CONTROL. AND RACHEL MONTEZ-KEMP IS THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER WE WORKED WITH. AND SHE WOULD GO IN AND SEIZE THE ANIMAL IF THERE WAS A HURT OR SICK OR DYING ANIMAL THERE THAT WE WERE AWARE OF THAT WE COULDN'T GET OUT. IF WE COULD GET IT OUT, WE WOULD TAKE IT TO A VET OF OUR OWN AND CARE FOR THE ANIMAL. BUT IT WAS BEING HANDLED UNTIL HE WOULDN'T LET US IN THERE ANYMORE. AND THAT'S WHEN ANIMAL CONTROL STEPPED IN AND GAVE HIM NOTICES TO COMPLY. HE PANICKED WHEN IT WAS GETTING DOWN TO THE WIRE AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD STEP IN AND TAKE OVER OWNERSHIP OF THE ANIMALS, WHICH I DID, SPEAKING WITH MARCIA AND SPEAKING WITH RACHEL, SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T ALL GO INTO ANIMAL CONTROL. BUT WE ACTUALLY GOT THE NUMBERS DOWN TO PROBABLY JUST UNDER 200. SO WE ADOPTED OUT QUITE A FEW ANIMALS THIS YEAR. AND WE DID THAT WITH THE CONTROL AND HELP OF ANIMAL CONTROL. WE WOULD CHECK IN EVERY WEEK AND LET THEM KNOW HOW MANY ANIMALS WE'D PLACED SO THAT SHE COULD GO IN AND DO A COUNT SO THAT WE COULD KEEP A CONTROL, VERY, VERY TIGHT CONTROL OVER HIM. SO I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT THAT WE DID WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH HIM. WE DID A GREAT JOB AS FAR AS GETTING THE NUMBERS DOWN SO THAT THE DEPARTMENT WASN'T GOING TO BE STUCK WITH OVER 300 ANIMALS.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT, TOO.

TONI EAKES: OH YOU'RE WELCOME. IT'S MY PLEASURE, JUST TO HELP THE DOGS.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: WE HOPE YOU CAN CONTINUE COOPERATING ON THAT.

TONI EAKES: THANK YOU.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

TONI EAKES: DOES ANYBODY -- DO YOU ASK QUESTIONS OR IS THAT IT?

SUP. ANTONOVICH: THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.

TONI EAKES: THANK YOU FOR HEARING US.

SUP. BURKE, CHAIR: AND THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT?