Lives Are Lost, and Animal Care Services Gets Rewarded
When San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh presented the proposed budget for fiscal year 2024 on August 10, colorful pie charts served to distract from his astounding $3.7 billion spending spree, a 9% increase from last year.
However, in a rare moment of transparency, Mr. Walsh effectively admitted what many San Antonio residents have known all along – Animal Care Services (ACS) is failing.
He acknowledged that ACS is not responding to 6 out of 10 calls classified as “critical”. This includes reports for aggressive dogs as well as animal cruelty and neglect. Residents should be alarmed.
In fact, 311 recordings document that citizens are often told to return stray dogs to the streets. Citizens also report that ACS places the burden on callers to round up aggressive dogs, using a rope to tie them to a tree.
While District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez and 311 operators seek to deputize other city employees as de facto animal control officers, it’s utterly astounding to learn ACS is set to receive $26.9 million for FY24, more than 20% over FY23.
Despite this, Erik Walsh admits that ACS still won’t respond to thousands of critical calls.
When U.S. Air Force veteran Ramon Najera endured a brutal and ultimately fatal dog attack in District 5 on February 24, 2023, an SAPD staffer placed an urgent 311 call that requested immediate assistance from ACS. Call center staff laughed in the background as the SAPD staffer described a chaotic scene.
Paramedics were unable to perform CPR on Mr. Najera because aggressive dogs were also attacking the first responders. The 311 operator told the SAPD staffer it could take up to three hours before ACS arrived on scene. She also stated “the system was down” and she would have to email the request for assistance to ACS.
More outrage followed when it was disclosed that the dogs responsible for Mr. Najera’s death had a bite history and were previously impounded at ACS. At that point, ACS Director Shannon Sims should have immediately prioritized public safety.
Unfortunately, he was too busy threatening physical violence against an animal welfare activist.
In an email dated March 25, 2023, Mr. Sims called the activist a “sad little internet troll”, a “sad and inadequate coward”, and a “loud, unfulfilled and pathetic internet hater”. He also said there would be “consequences” should he ever encounter the activist in person.
Erik Walsh, Assistant City Manager David McCary, and Mayor Ron Nirenberg were aware of the threats made by Mr. Sims, yet Mr. Walsh did not seek an investigation for a possible violation of COSA Administrative Directive 4.80 Violence in the Workplace.
In the meantime, Mr. Sims and his department continued to ignore thousands of calls for both aggressive dogs and stray animals. Consequently, there would be another tragedy.
On April 22, 2023, 38-year-old Arggie Ford was seven months pregnant when she was terrorized by a loose dog that forced her to step into a busy street. She was hit by a car and underwent an emergency c-section. In the process, Ms. Ford’s placenta was torn away from her uterus.
Her premature son was just 11 days old when he died at University Hospital.
In the end, Messrs. Walsh, Sims, and Nirenberg share blame for the deaths of two residents within a 2-month span. Walsh and Nirenberg ignored years of ACS mismanagement that prioritized reckless no-kill policies over public safety.
This is not only a budget issue. Mr. Sims’ failures and temperament clearly demonstrate he is unfit to lead. Instead, San Antonio City Council praises him and are set to reward him with a substantial salary increase.
Meanwhile, Mr. Najera’s family relied on a GoFundMe for funeral expenses, and Arggie Ford had no money to bury her infant.