Clear Lake residents press council over shelter conditions; city manager orders investigation

Residents pressed the Clear Lake City Council on April 6 over what they called substandard conditions and lack of accountability at the city-contracted animal shelter, prompting City Manager Flora to order a formal, police-led investigation and immediate operational changes.

Jean Janich, a local resident, told the council that volunteers were being blocked from exercising dogs and that donated bedding and blankets were being discarded after single use. She alleged a Giardia outbreak that she said North Bay Animal Services had not treated and questioned the city’s ability to oversee roughly $370,000 in contracting costs: “How can the city council take the fiduciary duty and responsibility of how $370,000 is being spent if there is no accountability,” Janich said during the public-comment period.

City Manager Flora responded directly from the dais, saying he had directed Chief Hobbs to open an investigation into the allegations and assigned Lieutenant Peterson as the primary staff contact to conduct oversight. Flora asked that the investigation be completed within 30 days and said staff had already issued immediate operational directives, including giving North Bay Animal Services two weeks to remove animals housed in the public works garage and restricting use of temporary crates to transport only. He also requested copies of the contractor’s kennel-cleaning policy and checklist to verify compliance with the contract and UC Davis cleaning recommendations.

Flora described additional changes: improved access controls so the public cannot wander into restricted areas, repairs to laundry hookups, and monthly walkthroughs by Lieutenant Peterson with the shelter contractor to review veterinary visits and spay/neuter counts. “We’ll be following up with those findings when that’s complete,” Flora said. He also recommended appointing an on-site lead worker or supervisor to give volunteers a clear point of contact.

Several other residents supported Janich’s claims and described long-standing problems with trap-neuter-return capacity for community cats, slow response to hoarding complaints and difficulty getting donated supplies accepted at the shelter. Kathleen Langus, who said she had fostered dozens of animals and organized spay/neuter efforts, said she often paid for transports and surgeries out of pocket and urged the council to provide local spay/neuter resources.

Flora said staff had already discussed the issues with shelter operators, and that the contract requires adherence to UC Davis recommendations. He said the city had asked the contractor to add specific reporting items to its monthly report to the city — including veterinary visits and sterilization counts — and that Lieutenant Peterson would meet monthly with North Bay staff for oversight. The council did not take immediate formal action to terminate or alter the contract at the meeting.

The council did not vote on any change to the contract during the meeting; Flora said the investigation’s results would be reported back to council when completed. Residents and volunteers were encouraged to submit detailed concerns to staff; staff indicated some operational fixes were already underway.