Good News and Bad News on the Animal Front

The Good News: Stuckey out of luck?

According to the Daily Breeze, Mayor Villaraigosa has fulfilled his campaign promise to fire Mr. Guerdon Stuckey, the General Manager of Animal Services. Although the Mayor's office has not confirmed the report, the animal community is cautiously optimistic.   

Negative press about this issue has stalked the Mayor for the past two months. A majority of L.A. animal advocates have come to the conclusion that Mr. Stuckey is unable to move the city in the direction of "no kill."

Sixteen Directors of Animal Welfare (DAWs)--who were appointed through the Neighborhood Council system--sent a joint letter to the Mayor last week requesting his removal.

If the Daily Breeze article is accurate, the Mayor should be thanked. The Mayor's next step is to hire a competent and caring General Manager for Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS).

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The Bad News: CAO Report is a huge (or elephantine!) disappointment. 

Many in the animal community, including the Directors of Animal Welfare, want to see the local elephant exhibit closed and the three L.A. zoo elephants--Ruby, Gita and Billy—moved to a sanctuary. A 75-page CAO report came back stating that the taxpayers should fund a $33 million three-acre L.A. exhibit. Not only would this be disastrous for the elephants (who need at least 100 acres), but it would be burdensome for our city which is currently $268 million in debt. Some City Councilmembers have expressed their desire to see the elephants sent to a sanctuary. It is hoped that Mayor Villaraigosa will do the right thing for these beautiful and deserving creatures who are counting on him. 

Comments

[ADL-LA Email Recipient]

These are sections of an email ADL-LA sent regarding the Los Angeles Daily News article called "Animal Services Dogfight."

This is the email:

We wouldn't, however, blame some activists if they were considerably aggrieved at being called ecoterrorists. You know, folks, they've worked diligently to earn the title of animal rights terrorists--so, we hereby take the liberty of assuming that they would greatly appreciate a more sincere effort to get straight under exactly which category of terrorism they fall! Now, don't get us wrong. We respect both kinds--it's just the principle of the thing!

OK, now that we've aired that point of contention, let's move on. The article also states that Stuckey is in "seclusion." Well, yes. ADL-LA has confirmed--and received clearance to publish--the advisement by high-ranking Pentagon officials that Guerdon and war criminal Dick Cheney are missing and believed to be hiding out in an underground "bunker." The U.N., Interpol, and the U.S. Armed Forces are admirably sparing no expense--and engaging all available personnel not currently deployed lobbing white phosphorous bullets at Iraqi civilians--in the frantic search to locate and capture the fugitive ex-General LAAS Manager and the Vice President! ADL-LA will keep you posted as we continue to receive updates from confidential top-level military sources with regard to developments in this critical homeland-security crisis situation.

Regarding Ed Boks, you can bet that ADL-LA members are doing their research--and we anticipate having a better feel come next week. We do not yet want to offer comment, because we--unlike certain others--invest a great deal of time and effort into researching those who are going to have the responsibility of protecting and "sheltering" thousands of innocent, precious animals. We will either be rallying the humane community or dispatching some bad news...We obviously hope it's the former. We would love nothing more than to find out that Santa may very well be bringing the animals of this City the gift of life--not a bag of coal.

If this new GM and his assistant general manager are a team that we can get behind, this will truly be a victory for the animals.

By the way, ADL-LA has an offer for you! If you'd like to purchase leftover "Fire Stuckey" leaflets, some banners, and a few posters, we will sell them to you for pennies on the dollar...But you'd better hurry--supplies are limited!!!

[ADL-LA Email Recipient]

Sorry this is the link to the article.

[Ashley Bowers]

It is about time he fired him but this mayor is a joke I hope he is voted out next term!