How can you help?
There are many ways that you can assist in the fight for the rights of the animals in the Kern County Shelter and the rights of the pet owners who are searching for a lost pet
Tell us your story
Stories heard from a 'friend of a friend' will not help in a court of law, however, if you have a personal experience, we would like to know about it.

You will not have to appear in court if you do not wish to. You can, instead, make a declaration.

Declarations must be typed, dated and signed by you. Please give us as much information as you can, including dates, any names that you remember and a detailed account of your experience. Be sure to include all of your contact information, including full name, phone number and mailing address, so that we may get in touch with you if necessary.

Here is a sample declaration. You can copy it to your computer and fill in the blanks. The sample will open in a new window.

Declarations can be mailed to:
Kate Neiswender, Esq.
Kern County Case Declaration
Post Office Box 24617
Ventura, CA 93002

We have evidence already but EVERY SINGLE supporting story helps.

If you would like to contact us by email first please email us with your story at experience@shelterWatch.com
Funding
Legal fees for large court cases run well into the thousands of dollars. Court fees, paperwork, lawyer costs all add up VERY quickly. We are asking for donations to help defray costs.

You can donate by credit card using Paypal. Please click this button and follow the instructions:

You can also donate via check or money order sent directly to the lawyer who is trying the case, please make checks out to Kate Neiswender and mail to:
Kate Neiswender, Esq.
Post Office Box 24617
Ventura, CA 93002
What YOU can do RIGHT NOW
Don't live in California? Click here to see how you can help!
Contact Kern County Representatives
http://www.co.kern.ca.us/rma/RMAKeyContacts.asp

Although it doesn't show it on the KC org chart, apparently RMA (Resource Management Agency) is above Environmental Health and Animal Control.

Steve McCalley runs EH. This is the man quoted in the article this morning in the newspaper saying that they don't have to pick up strays. David Price is his boss who is at the top of the website.

COUNTY OF KERN
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGENCY
DAVID PRICE III, DIRECTOR
2700 "M" STREET, SUITE 350
Bakersfield, California 93301-2370
Phones: (661)862-8800; 1-800-552-5376, Option 5
FAX: (661) 862-8801; TTY Relay 1-800-735-2979
e-mail: rma@co.kern.ca.us

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT
e-mail: eh@co.kern.ca.us
Steve McCalley, Director
Phone: 862-8717
Mike Chapman, 862-8706
Mike Gnekow, 862-8762

KERN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
1115 Truxtun Avenue, 5th Floor
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 868-3601

Jon McQuiston District 1
E-mail: district1@co.kern.ca.us
1115 Truxtun Avenue, 5th Floor
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone (661) 868-3650
FAX (661) 868-3657

Kern County Supervisor
Second District
Don Maben
E-mail: district2@co.kern.ca.us
1115 Truxtun Avenue, Room 502
Bakersfield, CA 93301
661-868-3660
661-868-3666 Fax

Barbara Patrick
Third District Supervisor
1115 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 868-3670
Fax: (661) 868-3677
E-mail: dist3@co.kern.ca.us

Ray Watson
Fourth District
1115 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 868-3680
Fax: (661) 868-3688
E-mail: district4@co.kern.ca.us

Pete H. Parra
Fifth District Supervisor
1115 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 868-3690
Fax: (661) 868-3645
E-mail: district5@co.kern.ca.us

If you live IN California - please write to the house and senate representatives that represent YOU in California government. Explain to them that allowing an entire county to simply ignore which CA laws they don't like creates a bad impression for the entire state.

If you are OUTSIDE California - please send the same message to Governor Schwarzenegger and the California Attorney General.

Thanks for your support. Animal shelters all over the country are looking at this. If we lose here then all the work during the past five years will be lost. Some county and city shelters are already beginning to ignore more and more of the law, daring us to challenge them. If we win here it will set a good example for the rest of the country. Please take the time out of your busy day to cross post and do this.

  1. Write your California Legislators:

    Find your legislators here: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

    Most have a link where you can contact them directly.

  2. Write to the California Attorney General's Office. This can be done by both in-state and out-of-state folks! http://caag.state.ca.us/contact/index.htm

    Once to the site, click on "contact us". Once here, you can either write a letter, print it and fax it, call using one of the numbers provided, or click on "e-mail public inquiry unit" and file an on-line complaint, or you can call one of the numbers provided.

PLEASE let them know that the situation in Kern County is untenable, and that they are NOT above the law! They have lost on every count heard before the judge so far... They MUST abide by California law.