YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED
PLEASE PROTEST HUGE CUTS TO SANTA CLARA COUNTY SPAY/NEUTER BUDGET
The County Board of Supervisors is considering an almost 20% cut in the already inadequate budget for spay/neuter services starting July 1. For the past several years, funding was maintained at around $111,000 and funds always ran out part way through the year. The new budget proposal calls for only $90,000 for fiscal 2011-2012.
Please contact your Supervisor (see website link and list below) and urge him/her to maintain funding for spay/neuter at current levels. In your own words, use the points below to bolster your plea:
* This is going to mean drastically reduced access to low cost spay/neuter services, especially for stray and feral cats.
* It is counter-productive, because sheltering costs will increase, as will expensive euthanasia costs. It is far more cost-effective to spay/neuter than to euthanize, not to mention the humane considerations.
* Consider the impact on peoples' lives of a large increase in the numbers of unwanted homeless cats and the certainty of their finding litters of starving kittens in their environments. This can be quite disturbing and will generate many calls to shelters and animal control for assistance, which will add to costs.
* We hope you will find a way, even in these difficult fiscal times, to maintain current budget levels for spay/neuter, or even increase them.
Note to our members, donors, and friends:
The Palo Alto Humane Society has for many years supplemented both Santa Clara and San Mateo County funding for spay and neuter with our own voucher program, which constitutes a major part of how we serve the community. If we have to make up for large County budget cuts, it will impact negatively on our other vital animal programs.
The Board of Supervisors has five geographical districts. Anyone who needs to find their member's name can go to this website:
http://eservices.sccgov.org/district/home.do
Supervisor Liz Kniss – District 5
www.lizkniss.org
North County Office of Supervisor Liz Kniss
270 Grant Avenue, Room 149
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tel: 650-965-8737
OR
Office of the Board of Supervisors
70 West Hedding Street, 10th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: 408-299-5050
Supervisor Dave Cortese – District 3
www.supervisorcortese.org
County Government Center
Tenth Floor - East Wing
70 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: 408-299-5030
Supervisor Mike Wasserman – District 1
www.supervisorwasserman.org
70 W. Hedding, 10th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: 408-299-5010
Supervisor George Shirakawa – District 2
www.supervisorshirakawa.org
County Government Center
Tenth Floor - East Wing
70 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA. 95110
Tel: 408-299-5020
Supervisor Ken Yeager – District 4
www.supervisoryeager.org
County Government Center
Tenth Floor - East Wing
70 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA. 95110
Tel: 408-299-5040