Costa Mesa sticks with O.C. Humane Society and agrees to help fund improvements

Costa Mesa City Council members decided this week to keep the city’s animal-shelter services with the Orange County Humane Society for the next two years and to cut a check of up to $50,000 to address aspects of its operations that the city acknowledges aren’t “up to snuff.”

Some community members urged the council at its meeting Tuesday to move away from the Huntington Beach shelter, which recently was the subject of allegations from animal control officers in Newport Beach who said they found unsanitary and inhumane conditions there.

“Maybe you get what you pay for — you know, we got a cheap rate and it’s not the best facility,” said Costa Mesa resident Robin Leffler. “But something’s got to change and if I were up there (on the council dais) making this decision, I would not feel easy going with the same contractor.”

Costa Mesa has contracted with the Orange County Humane Society for animal-care services since 2009.

The latest agreement runs until January 2018 — costing about $75,000 a year — but city staff took another look at the Humane Society after the allegations from Newport.

The Newport Beach City Council decided in November to end its agreement with the nonprofit and move the animals from Newport Beach that had already been taken there to Home Free Animal Sanctuary in Newport. The city’s animal-control officers said they had witnessed Humane Society staff leaving animals wet for several days and housing them in a building without proper sunlight or ventilation, among other allegations.

An audit by Newport Beach released in December also alleged that the shelter had been unnecessarily charging 8% sales tax on pet adoptions.

Costa Mesa city spokesman Tony Dodero said city staff found that some things at the shelter “were not up to snuff, basically.”

Animal control officers identified deficiencies in the Humane Society’s record keeping, as well as a need for some structural work, he said.

Staff did not, however, turn up “the same things that the Newport Beach animal control people saw,” Dodero added.

Representatives of the shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Costa Mesa council members unanimously agreed to provide up to $50,000 to help address issues at the facility.

The money will go toward structural improvements such as ventilation fans, skylights to increase lighting and a new block wall to separate cats from kenneled dogs. The funds also will go toward developing software to help the shelter better track and process animals in its care.

Councilwoman Katrina Foley questioned why the city should provide additional money to the Humane Society, which she said has failed to live up to the terms of its contract.

“What I’m seeing in this staff report is we are essentially agreeing to pay for the breach of the consultant’s contract,” she said.

Councilwoman Sandy Genis also raised concerns about the shelter, saying she has seen issues such as damaged kennel fencing, empty water bowls and a general lack of cleanliness.

“With all due respect to staff, this place has been a pit for a while,” Genis said. “I’ve been in a lot of shelters; this one smells the worst.”

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer said it’s apparent the Humane Society needs additional funding.

“They need some help to operate; they need some software that’s proper so we can make sure we count things properly, and it should probably cost us a little bit more money,” he said.

Even taking the additional $50,000 into account, Costa Mesa would spend considerably less for animal control and sheltering services than some of its neighbors, according to a city report.

The annual net cost of those services in Costa Mesa is currently about $343,530, the report says. In Newport Beach, it’s $589,175; in Huntington Beach, it’s $885,000, and in Santa Ana it’s $977,669, the report says.

Though the council chose to stay with the Humane Society for the rest of the current contract, Dodero said the city can opt out should the need or desire arise.

“We consider them a partner at this point,” Dodero said. “We’re going to work with them … for that facility to be a better facility for stray animals that end up there. But we also leave our options open.”