Animal rights advocates announce lawsuit against Riverside County for euthanasia policy

Coachella Valley animal welfare activists announced a lawsuit Wednesday against the Riverside County Department of Animal Services for what they allege are ongoing violations of a California law that prohibits euthanasia of impounded dogs and cats that have adoption potential, saying the county is possibly the worst nationally in carrying out pet terminations to make space in shelters.

"This is a ground-breaking case that seeks to overhaul Riverside County Department of Animal Services through comprehensive court-ordered relief consistent with the Hayden Act, as well as the substantive recommendations of local animal advocates who have fought tirelessly for change,'' Rancho Mirage-based attorney Walter Clark said in a statement.

Clark's firm represents four area residents who are long-time animal welfare and safety advocates. The parties were not identified but are expected to appear at his office Thursday morning for a briefing to detail the foundation for the civil action against the county. The suit specifically names Department of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis, seeking a permanent injunction against policies she has overseen since her appointment to head the agency four years ago.

The Dept. of Animal Services sent a statement to News Channel 3:

We have not yet received this lawsuit. Once received, we will review it thoroughly for next steps. As there is pending litigation, we are very limited on the information that can be shared at this time.

The Department of Animals Services’ mission is “working together to improve Riverside County for people and animals.” Our employees and volunteers are committed to the care, treatment and life-saving measures we provide to all animals in our care each day.

- John Welsh, spokesperson for Riverside County Department of Animal Services

The nonprofit Best Friends of the Animal Society declared last year that, in 2022, Department of Animal Services shelters "killed more animals than any other reporting shelter in the United States."

Altogether, in 2022 and 2023, an estimated 24,000 canines and felines were euthanized in county shelters, according to the organization.

News Channel 3 morning Anchor Angela Chen has reported on the overcrowding crisis at local shelters, watch those reports below:

Crowd Control: County shelter responds to criticism, reveals major changes at facility

Coachella Valley animal shelters see worst overcrowding since pandemic

Clark and his law partner, Dan Bolton, allege Gettis and the county have implemented practices that directly contravene the 1998 Hayden Act, legislation authored by then-state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica,  which states, in part, "no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home."

The measure further bars euthanization even if a pet lacks qualities that make it ill-suited to immediate adoption, "but could become adoptable with reasonable efforts."

"Dogs and cats deserve to go out the front door to a new beginning, not the back door to a rendering facility or landfill,'' Bolton said.

The attorneys allege Gettis has taken a dismissive position toward the Hayden Act, shrugging it off as "legalese." They spotlight the fact the administrator was hired to fill the top spot at the Department of Animal Services despite ``no previous experience in animal safety, shelter management or overseeing a $39 million budget.''

"The disturbing results of this approach are disdain for the health and safety of animals in the custody of Department of Animal Services, disinterest in working with the community and rescue organizations to place animals in homes, inertia in moving to adopt no-kill policies and a haphazard focus on killing, rather than saving, dogs and cats. This must stop,'' the lawyers wrote.

The plaintiffs said they want Gettis and the agency to follow provisions established under the Hayden Act going forward.

The department has come under fire publicly during Board of Supervisors' meetings over the last two-plus years, during which animal welfare advocates have appeared during open comment sessions and to speak on agenda items, pointing to what they allege are faulty or deficient practices resulting in "high kill" outcomes at the four county-operated shelters.

The board has generally praised Gettis, recognizing her for implementing changes that have led to stability within the department. Under her watch, the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus reopened, providing greater sheltering opportunities. The agency, however, has consistently contended with red ink, requiring higher allotments each fiscal year to maintain consistent service levels.

More recently, the department joined in the "5,000 Cat Challenge," intended to save the lives of 5,000 more felines in 2024 than the number adopted out or referred to rescue organizations in 2023. The board also approved Gettis' "trap-neuter-return" policy, which permits stray cats to be caught, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, then released from impound and put back on the streets to roam, especially in locations where they are known to congregate.

"We will join our neighbors in the city and county of Los Angeles, who recognized that healthy stray and lost cats deserve to remain where they are without admission to a shelter,'' Gettis said in March.

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