URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO KEEP FRONT STREET OPEN
Front Street Shelter is CLOSING ON WEDNESDAYS starting in April, reducing services to the public. This closure will be detrimental to animal welfare and our community.

Don't CLOSE Front Street Shelter on Wednesdays

STOP Front Street's reduction of public services

I am writing to urge you not to close Front Street Shelter one day a week starting in April. It is vital for public safety and animal welfare that Front Street remains open seven days a week. In 2019, former Front Street leadership expanded operations to seven days a week to save money by increasing owner reunification and adoptions—reducing costs to house animals. According to former leadership, opening seven days a week would save money and animals lives. 

Front Street Facts Before 2020 (Prior Leadership):
✔ Open seven days a week 
✔ Not behind on up to 1,500 stray animal 311 calls 
✔ Housed more animals than currently, despite the same capacity 
✔ Never turned away animals under illegal “reduced intake” policies
✔ Operated as an open-admission shelter, saving both lives and money 
✔ Spayed/neutered animals immediately for legal adoption 
✔ Provided spay/neuter vouchers to the community

Front Street Facts 2020 to Present (Current Leadership):
❌ Animal intake dropped significantly due to “reduced intake” and “capacity of care” programs—both found to be illegal violation of Hayden\s Law by California courts 
❌ Increased population of unwanted animals in our community 
❌ Rising euthanasia rates over the past three years 
❌ Failed to spay/neuter over 1,000 animals sent to fosters 
❌ Backlog of over fifteen hundred 311 calls 
❌ Calls re stray animals ignored 
❌ Open to the public only 5 hours a day, 35 hours a week.

Since 2020 current management has implemented devastating programs that have significantly affected animal welfare. Under “reduced intake” programs, residents are regularly asked to be de facto animal control officers. Front Street asks the public to accept, house, transport, and care for animals we find but cannot keep—despite having no training, knowledge of the animal’s temperament or health or millions in taxpayer funds provided to Front Street to provide these services. Yet Front Street’s annual budget has increased annually to over $ EIGHT MILLION and they receive millions more in grants and donations. 

What will happen when Front Street closes on Wednesdays? According to public records, in 2024, on Wednesdays the public brought 1,038 stray animals to Front Street, while animal control officers brought in only 396 animals. Are we to presume Front Street will suddenly decide to respond to hundreds of calls for lost, abandoned or stray animals? 

Closing one day a week will impact animal welfare and public safety and increase animal abandonment and potential liability for the city without any measurable cost benefit.  For all of these reasons, it is imperative that Front Street Shelter remains open seven days a week. Thank you for your time and consideration of this urgent matter.

Don't CLOSE Front Street Shelter on Wednesdays

STOP Front Street's reduction of public services

Message

Dear Office Holder (names will be automatically added on each email),