Sunday, March 6, 2011

Another Triple B: Brenda Barnette Blooper

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, DIDN'T WORK!
What is Brenda Barnette doing all day long in her office, reading comic books? She’s always saying that the things she’s doing “are so much fun.” Hard to understand how running an animal control agency where impounds and euthanasia are increasing and the only way to get animals out the door is ship them to Canada is “fun.” It isn’t fun for the animals! It isn’t fun for the employees! But, then Breeder Barnette has fun and gets “excited” about some pretty strange things.

For example, in a news release on March 3rd, Barnette announced that it is exciting news that LA is backing the CA spay/neuter license program. Duh, as if that hasn't happened already?? Hey, somebody tell her that the press conference with the Mayor announcing the program was held at the WLA shelter last June. Since the whole thing has been a grand failure, is doing it over something to get excited about? Maybe BB is excited about the weird sort of psydelic/sort of religious drawing that nobody would want on their car unless they were high. I swear that the picture by Pierce Brosnan looks like a throwback to a bad acid trip from the 60's. Somebody tell me what in the world it has to do with spay/neuter?

And can you trust anything that is sponsored by the CVMA? Not me. They are going to decide how and which of their vets gets the money donated by taxpayers. And how is that going to be decided? It's like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. From what few details are available--(which is another reason it is failing, where’s the plan?)--this program can't be used to start new spay/neuter programs, which is what is desperately needed, it can only be used for those in existence already and most of them already have funding or they wouldn’t be in existence, would they?. . What about the apportionment? It is most likely that Los Angeles and San Francisco would have the most donors, but would they receive the lion’s share? Each of these cities already has a program and funding. Why wouldn't there be a plan to help small animal control agencies that don't have a vet (or even an RVT) establish s/n funding?

In fact, another reason this is failing is because it intends to redirect the donors that support local s/n organizations and have them send their money to another bureaucracy (the CVMA) that has no definite plan but can’t wait to get its hands on the money.. Instead of donating to the groups doing the work, this attempts to get people to donate at the state level. This means, people will say, “forget these local people. Throw away their fundraising letters. Who needs to attend their events? I donated and have a license plate saying "s/n" on my car--I don't have to do any more!" It’s the old “I gave at the office” approach.

So things are so bad the Found Animals Foundation is having to offer to pay shelters that can get people to buy a s/n plate and there is the carrot that one out of every
100 people will have a chance to have $300 donated to a shelter of their choice? What kind of s/n program are they expected to set up with $300?

Now there is even a proposed Senate Bill 610 to try to keep Mancuso’s claim-to-fame idea alive by lowering the number of license plates that have to be sold in order to get it in production.
The DMV feels so sorry about this pathetic failure for the animals that it may lower the minimum requirement by 2/3—that’s 66%. Minimum for all other charitable plates is 7,500 orders (all over the state). They want to lower it to 2,500 out of pity for a poorly planned program. Guess others just can't see putting that psychedelic dog on their pretty cars either.

BTW, BB, do you have a CA s/n plate on your car, or how about the Mayor or Buddy Bickhart? Anybody in City Hall? Since the Animal Services Commission is voting on SB 610 on Tuesday, I’d suggest they all make a commitment to buy one of these ugly things before they try to cram it down the gas tanks of other CA residents. If they aren’t willing to do that, then their vote and Ms. BB’s big “exciting” press release is just another load of PR BS like the other stuff she’s been spreading around L.A.

Again, Miss BB has missed the boat. This is been done, over and done with, and was a flop. Next thing we know, Miss BB will be trying to re-name pit bulls LA Labs. Oops, been there, done that already with San Francisco’s St. Francis Terriers (was BB at SFSPCA then?) and Ed Boks and his New Yorkies. Can't you come up with something original, BB, something that can make a difference?

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