Animal Welfare Board - Regular Meeting

Hello.

Hi. Maria is trying to connect.

Hello, everyone. I'm sorry. I was trying to get in, but I was having trouble with. How are you?

Good, good.

Maria, are we waiting for someone else?

I think everybody's in there.

I see.

It's three people.

We do have three with you.

Okay. Should I start? Is it okay?

Hold on. Let me see. I see Rosara's there too.

Yeah, it's four of us. We just have one.

Sabrina. Okay. Sabrina, Sandra. Rosara and you.

Yes.

Yeah, go ahead.

Good evening, everyone. Call to order Animal Control Advisory Board meeting Wednesday. It was a long day today. Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 6.36 p.m. Maria de la Cruz Marquez present.

Rosaura Lopez, present. Sabrina Fazana, present.

Sandra, you say your name and you say present. I think you're muted.

Yes, Sandra Garcia, present.

Thank you so much. So I think, Rosaura, you did the minutes. Were you able to review the minutes from last meeting? I think it was July. If so, I would like to make a motion to approve the minutes of last meeting. My baby's crying. Anyone second that? Yes, Rosaura Lopez second. Thank you so much. Thank you very, very much. So we have the approval for the meeting, for the minutes. I have us all business and update on the trapping and release and the food donation program for the community. I'm sorry, I'm just gonna be one minute out of the agenda. Frank, thank you for being here. It's awesome to have you back. Is he there?

Good to be here.

Thank you, Frank. Thank you so much. It's really great to have you back. So for the update on the trapping and release, we have a trapper that we hired and she's taking the cats to the surgery and everything. I have to get an update on how many cats do we have that still are... Oh, I'm waiting to be fixed, but it's just a few. What we're trying to do is help mostly all cats that are sick. That's basically what's going on with the trapping. But other than that, I don't have a concern in regards of how many we have because it's just a few. And from what I'm aware of, they're all males. So it's no more than five or six cats that we need to fix. I have to speak with the main feeder with Yolanda to have a specific number, but we should be good on that. Like we discussed the last meeting. Also, the program for the food has been working very well. Today, we were able to pick up the food for the feeders. We're distributing it with Rosauda, the board secretary, and it has been... Great help. Great help. So thank you for that. So just girls, just stop me if you have any, any comments, please. So as new business, we have a discussion on renaming the board as Animal Welfare Board. That was something that our Mayor Brent Latham suggested. Today was his last meeting with us. I'm not sure if he was able to connect. I don't see him here, but I think it's a great idea to have the Animal Welfare Board as the new name. Because we're not animal control. We're not like, you know, trapping and whatever. I don't think it's animal control. It's accurate. Not sure how this works, but I think I could make a motion to change the name and then someone will second it. Is that okay, Maria?

Correct.

So I would like, love to make a motion. I would really like to make a motion. Okay. to renaming the ward as Animal Welfare Board instead of Animal Control Advisory Board. So let me know if anyone seconds that and if the rest agrees. I second Sandra Garcia. I agree, I second. Thank you. I agree, Rosaura. Okay, thank you so much. So from now on, we are going to be called Animal Welfare Board, which I think it's better. So I think, Maria, in regards to that, should I tell Julie?

Yes. Send her an email with the name so she can publish it online so she can change it. Mm-hmm.

Okay, we'll do that. We'll do that. So as a second item, it's item number 4B. It's a discussion on the approval budget amount for the Animal Welfare Board for this year. I think, if I'm not mistaken, the budget starts on September 30th, correct? Or is it October?

October 1st. Yeah, October 1st. so correct me if i'm wrong we still have 2500 for the food and 2500 for the trapping for for one year okay you have five thousand all together but remember or as of today you have four thousand eight hundred because you already ordered some food and we have the second the second one the one for november that um that was not counting on this okay so it'll be like you have like Maybe $4,600 more or less because it would be like $200 less.

Okay, so it's for the food, for October's food and for what else?

November and October because we already ordered the one that you received yesterday. That's the one for November.

Right. Okay. I understand now. Okay. So 4,600. And Maria, my question for that was, is this budget approved for the rest of the year or since we have new commissioners?

No, that's what you have for the whole year. That's your budget, including everything.

Okay, thank you so much. I was trying to control the crying here. Sorry. So I guess that's my question for the final budget 2024-2025. For the next discussion, it will be the 4C discussion on gaining more community engagement. I wanted to ask you, I guess that would be more for Julie. If we could have some sort of calendar, I don't know how far ahead the city plans the events, like the spring event, the Easter event, and so on. I'm going to have to create a new banner because I have the animal control advisory board on my banner.

Oh, yes.

Yeah, so we have a new one. I'm going to print a new one. But I think it would be great if we can go and be there.

Okay, I'll send you the calendar so you can see what we had coming up.

Calendar, Maria. Okay, so that would be great because we have time to... You know, I'm no longer working Saturdays or Sundays, so I will be for sure able to go.

Okay, you can always go... I'm sorry, you can always go into the website and you can see all the events that we have coming up. Okay.

And what about if when you guys are promoting the events on the flyers, do you add, you know, on the activities that are going to happen on that event? Like food donation, like cat food donations. So people know in advance that there is going to be a way to donate food for the cats so people can go prepare with food to donate.

Okay, I think Julie was working on something. I think I have to check because I haven't seen the advertising, but she was requesting food because I think Maria, you have sent her a request for her to do that.

We're trying to see if on the Friday newsletter, we need more feeders and we can always have more food. And I understand that the city is giving us enough and we're grateful for it. But if we can get donations from the neighbors for cat food, that'll be great too, I think. But I will speak with Julie about ways to advertise that. Maybe in the water bill, like Rosaura said the other day, that would be a good idea. But if I have the calendar... I can speak. Who's the one organizing the event so for me to have a table there set up?

It'll be on Julie's office. It's Lily. But I'll let you know because whenever we have an event that we think you can put a table, I will let you know. I'll let you know ahead of time. Or you can look at the calendar where we had and whatever you think you can participate, let me know and I'll let Julie know. Or you can always send her an email.

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and order a new banner. It's not part of the actual agenda, but I would love to know who can I speak with about new t-shirts because the t-shirt that I have is from 2016. It's like the logo that Norway Village had last century.

Let me find out.

Okay, thank you. Because like for us to be representing, you know, especially because we have a new name now, animal welfare. So that'll be amazing to have. Sabri, perdona, yes.

No, no, no. I have a question for Maria Tovar. When you say the budget is 4,600 until the end of the year, the year is December. When does it finish? December 2025?

No, it is on September 30th.

Of 2025? 2025, yes. Oh, okay. So it's just kind of like one year from now. Correct. Okay. Thank you.

Okay.

Sorry. So then for 4D discussion on animal welfare... board booth for the next sponsor event. We just discussed that. We're going to be able to participate if it's during a weekend or if it's after work hours, we'll be happy to do. We have a group that it's more like with Sandra, Rosaura and Sabrina. We work together like very closely and we're going to be able to attend and, you know, educate people some, you know, the ones that like the cats, the ones that they don't like the cats. We can buy some treats for them, for the neighbors, not for the cats. And then get food donations and maybe, you know, spread the word a little bit. This word has been You know, we started at the very beginning of 2017. So it's almost like it's eight years already. Crazy, but it's like that. And we're really, really... you know, engage with this. So Maria knows us and she's always helping us a lot. So we're thankful for you and to be working with you as well. And very happy that Frank is here again. Oh my God, we miss you very much. So for item 4E, this was for the mayor, but he's not here. I wanted to read something for him. I guess I will post it or I will send it to his email. So other than that, I do not have any other items to discuss. This is open then for public comments since our staff commission liaison is not here. We can, I don't know if it's someone from the public.

I don't see anybody in there.

OK. OK. Anyone that wants to say anything to wrap it up?

T-shirt is a great idea. We know we can also use this t-shirt when we feed the cats. so that people knows that we are in the group. We have the pass, but sometimes you have a t-shirts or you wear during the day, I think it's very engaging. So I'm very happy about the t-shirts idea.

Yeah, that is true. And I think we are pretty good organized, I guess. And I think the... The idea of being in the events is very good because we can receive donations from neighbors because there are people there that have their cats indoors. So I'm sure that we have a lot of cat lovers in Northlake Village.

And you guys are doing a great job, really. Thank you. We really enjoyed it.

We're having a good day today, all of us. We're very happy. So I would like to... Yes, go ahead. Sorry. I was interrupting someone.

No? No, but I'm going to find out about the t-shirt and I'll let you guys know.

Yes, please. Besides, it's 80 years old and it doesn't fit. I don't have an idea why, because I did not gain any weight. No, I'm kidding. I did, sadly. But I can, you know, anyways, another thing. So I would like to make a motion to adjourn the meeting today at 6.51 p.m. Or you want to still go? Not second that. Second that, Sabrina, second that. Thank you so much. Have a great night, you all. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for everything.