Hollister group raises concerns over potential animal service changes

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City officials are quietly exploring the outsourcing of Hollister’s animal services, and the inquiry is drawing concerns.

City Manager Ana Cortez said nothing is changing at the moment and declined to even acknowledge the city is considering changing the structure of Hollister Police Animal Care and Services despite emails showing the city has contacted Animal Protection League, a Stockton-based nonprofit, inquiring about a potential partnership.

Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens, however, confirmed that the city is looking at options and said any potential changes are about a year away.

As the city makes its inquiries, a group of community members, which asked to remain anonymous, is demanding that the city take the public’s opinion into consideration. The group is opposed to handing management of animal services to an entity outside the police department.

“The city will make the decision it makes,” said Ginna Arnold-Lazar of Hollister-based nonprofit Babe’s Fund on behalf of  the group. “What we do have control over is this: we can demand that all parties come to the table at every meeting, we can insist on transparency, we can require that collaboration, not closed-door maneuvering, be the process by which our community’s future is decided.”

Arnold-Lazar said Babe’s Fund pays for medical interventions for animals in the care of the Hollister animal services.

Cortez told BenitoLink the concerns raised by community members are “premature drama.” Yet a series of emails showed she asked recently hired building consultant Eric White to provide ideas on bringing in a third party. 

In emails between Cortez, White and Animal Protection League Executive Director Jolene Medeiros dated April 6, Cortez says she is “seeking a better, more cost-efficient way to provide animal control services for the city and the county.”

Cortez stated in the email that the current city animal services operation costs $2 million per year for eight full-time employees, the Hollister Animal Shelter and medical services.

In an email to White, among several released by the city on April 15 in response to a public records request by Grace Robson, Cortez said she was hoping to save $1 million by having a nonprofit take over the services. 

Arnold-Lazar said she and other community members were concerned about a nonprofit taking over services because it meant staff not affiliated with the police department would have to respond to potentially dangerous situations such as reports of animal cruelty.

“It puts citizens at risk,” Arnold-Lazar said. 

She also said the group is concerned that the city officials meeting on April 30 on this issue did not receive input from the community or police department.

“All I want is for there to be a free and open community consensus and to look at all the options,” Arnold-Lazar said.

Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso said he has not been invited to any meeting about animal services or informed of any potential changes. He also noted the county pays for 55% of the budget for animal control.

Arnold-Lazar said the city should discuss how to effectively use the Helen Ross Fund, a $460,000 donation to the city to support stewardship of animals in its care, and look into creating a volunteer model where community members cover shelter hours and support other functions while staff deals with enforcement.

“These three elements together—volunteers supplementing animal control officers, trust funds supporting infrastructure, law enforcement remaining in place—represent a solution that serves the budget, serves the community, and serves the animals,” Arnold-Lazar said. “No one has to lose.”

Animal Protection League Executive Director Jolene Medeiros did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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