Marcia Mayeda, Director
May 16, 2024
Mr. Ernie Hernandez
City Manager
2535 Commerce Way
Commerce, CA 90040
Dear Mr. Hernandez:
NEW MUNICIPAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR
ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL SERVICES
FISCAL YEARS 2024-29
We hope this message finds you well. We would like to inform you that the current five-year City-County Municipal Services Agreement (the "Agreement") for animal care and control services is set to expire on June 30, 2024. We are pleased to inform you the new Agreement for Fiscal Year 2024-2029 has now been finalized and is available for your review and signature.
New City-County Municipal Services Agreements
As part of our commitment to maintaining effective collaboration, the County of Los Angeles (County) Department of Animal Care and Control (Department) took proactive steps to ensure that the new Agreement reflects the needs and input of our partner cities. On October 16, 2023, we sent a draft of the new Agreement to your city for review and input, and on June 26, 2023, we conducted a survey to gather valuable feedback from our partnered cities to inform the development of this Agreement. We are immensely grateful for the feedback received; it played a pivotal role in shaping the Agreement.
Mr. Ernie Hernandez
May 16, 2024
Revisions to the Agreement are summarized below:
City-County Municipal Services Agreement
Revision Type Section Explanation
Added Section 2.3
The City may distribute educational and
outreach materials, reviewed and
agreed upon by both the Department
and the City, related to pet licensing and
its benefits.
Per City requests, grants
cities the autonomy to
distribute materials
pertaining to animal care
and control services, if
approved by the
Department.
Added Section 3.2
In the event of a dispute between the
Parties about the desired or approved
content of the SLR, the dispute will be
handled in accordance with
Paragraph 2.2 of this Agreement.
Further clarifies the
process for disputes
relating to services
defined in the Service
Level Request (SLR).
Added Section 3.4
The City is only required to submit a
new SLR if it wishes to revise its current
services or update information listed on
its existing SLR.
Regarding updates to contact
information, the City is not obligated to
submit a new SLR. A simple email
confirmation from the City will suffice,
and the Department's Contracts and
Grants Division will update the City's
existing SLR and share the revised
copy with the City.
Removes the need for
cities to resubmit a new
SLR each time there is a
contact update. This is to
help streamline the
process for contract cities
and remove the burden of
unnecessary steps.
Added Section 3.5
The City will make its best effort to
inform the Department of any
modifications to its ordinance
concerning animal care and control
services. This approach will enable the
Department to verify that the services
outlined in the City's SLR align with the
municipal ordinance, thereby reducing
the potential for any discrepancies.
Helps ensure consistency
between city ordinances
and what is listed on the
SLR document.
Revised Sections 4.5 and 4.6
Changed the order of Sections 4.5 and
4.6. Changed to improve the
flow of the content
Mr. Ernie Hernandez
May 16, 2024
Revised Section 7.5
In the event of termination, both Parties
shall fulfill all obligations owed to each
other that have accrued before the date
of termination. Additionally, each Party
will be released from any obligations
that would have accrued after the
termination date had the Agreement
continued. However, the City will remain
responsible for payment to the
Department for any services provided
under this Agreement prior to the
termination date.
Further clarifies the
language on the
termination of the
Agreement and the
responsibilities of each
party.
Revised Section 10.1
Each Party shall designate a Primary
Contact, as identified in Attachment B,
Service Level Request, to facilitate the
services covered by this Agreement.
The Department accepts both physical
(wet) signatures and electronic
signatures for any notices or
correspondence related to this
Agreement.
Helps clarify the
notification process and
makes electronic
signatures allowable for
any notices or
correspondence related
to the Agreement.
Revised Section 11.1
With the exception of changes to a
City’s contact information, any changes,
modifications, or amendments to the
Agreement must be in writing and duly
executed by the Director of the
Department, or his/her designee, and
an authorized representative of the City.
The only exception to this requirement
applies to updates to the City's contact
information, which may be made
through an email from the City.
Allows cities to update
the contact information
on their SLR via an email
confirmation, thereby
removing the requirement
to resubmit a new SLR
each time a contact
needs to be updated.
Mr. Ernie Hernandez
May 16, 2024
This table lists the Department’s revisions to Attachment A - Description of Services:
Attachment A – Description of Services
Revision Type Section Explanation
Updated Throughout the document. Updated general
language throughout to
align with current
Department practices and
vernacular. Examples
include changing
“impounded” to
“admitted” and “shelter”
to “animal care center.”
Added Section III. Alternatives to Care
Center Admissions and section on
Managed Intake (please refer to
Attachment A for the full language)
Provides language on the
Department’s philosophy
of Managed Intake,
implemented in 2020,
and the services provided
by the Department to
prevent owner surrenders
and to keep pets with
their families.
Revised Section IV. Individual Animal
Licensing Services
Pet owners may opt into a one- or
three-year license option for their pets.
Fees from one- and three-year licenses
collected will be credited to the City
monthly in arrears.
Updated language to
include the three-year
license option which was
previously not available.
Added Section IV. Individual Animal
Licensing Services
The Department’s animal licensing
services include:
• Maintaining the Rabies
Vaccination Certificate tool
database that scans rabies
vaccination data reported by
private veterinary clinics to
identify unlicensed pets in our
jurisdictions and generate
compliance notices to pet
owners.
Added the Department’s
new responsibility of
maintaining records via
the Rabies Vaccination
Certificate tool.
Mr. Ernie Hernandez
May 16, 2024
Please provide the signed agreement back by May 31, 2024. Your prompt attention will help ensure a seamless transition when the current Agreement expires on June 30, 2024, and the new Agreement takes effect on July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029. We will make our best effort, based on our available capacity, to attend any necessary council meetings needed to execute the Agreement.
Should you have any questions, require further clarification, or wish to discuss any aspect of the Agreement, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Bradley Kim of our Contracts and Grants Division at [email protected] or (562) 379-9722.
We value your partnership and look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts in providing outstanding animal care and control services to your city. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
Sincerely,
MARCIA MAYEDA
Director
MM:DU:WD:BK:rke
s:\contract cities\ref docs\municipal services agreement (2024-29) 2.12.2024 final (template).docx Enclosures
c: Animal Care Board Deputies
Chief Executive Office (David Korsak)
Revised VI. Records
Updated Government Code in relation
to the Public Records Act
Updated for accuracy.
Added VI. Records
12. Public Hours performed at a specific
Animal Care Center
Added Public Hours
report as a request option
for cities