1 McKay, Ann Marie CC
Subject: Protecting the Future of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter From: Lisa Sauers
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 8:42 PM
To: City Council <[email protected]>
Cc: McKay, Ann Marie CC <[email protected]>
Subject: Protecting the Future of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter Dear Laguna Beach City Manager and Council Members,
My name is Lisa Sauers, and I have been a proud volunteer with the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter since 1996 (nearly 30 years). During this time, I have had the privilege of working closely with Nancy and have remained deeply committed to supporting the shelter and its mission. Over the decades, I have led the Volunteer Orientations and Training, helping to recruit and guide dedicated individuals who share our passion for protecting and caring for the animals who depend on us most.
I write to you with both gratitude and concern. Gratitude for the City’s long-standing support of the shelter, which has saved countless animal lives and brought joy to the families who have adopted them.
Concern, because with Nancy Goodwin’s retirement after more than 40 years of extraordinary leadership, the shelter stands at a pivotal crossroads that must be addressed immediately. Nancy, together with our dedicated staff and volunteers, established a standard of compassion and care that has made the shelter not only a safe haven for animals but also a trusted and valued resource for the entire Laguna Beach community.
To ensure that the animals remain the heart and focus of the shelter, I believe two key changes are necessary immediately:
1. Transition of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter Oversight: The Animal Shelter should no longer fall under the Police Department. While the LBPD plays a vital role in public safety, its culture and priorities differ fundamentally from those of an animal shelter and the care of its animals. To preserve the shelter’s mission and ensure the highest quality of care, it must operate outside the LBPD’s structure and be placed under Community Services, where its focus on animal welfare is better aligned.
2. Shelter’s Donation Fund: The Animal Shelter’s donation fund should be removed from the LBPD management and moved to the city's "Non-Departmental" area of the budget. This will ensure full transparency and uphold the intent of donors who contributed specifically for the animals’ welfare. Every dollar donated should go directly to the care, comfort, and future of the animals who pass through our shelter.
These changes are not only practical—they are necessary. They will honor Nancy’s remarkable 40 year legacy while securing the future of a shelter that has always put the animals first. More importantly, they will ensure that Laguna Beach continues to be a community that values compassion, transparency, and the well-being of its most vulnerable.
Thank you for your leadership and for your commitment to both the people and the animals of Laguna 2 Beach. Please know that I, along with countless volunteers and community members, stand ready to support you in protecting the future of our beloved shelter and the future of our animals.
With sincere appreciation and respect,
Lisa Sauers
949-632-2219
1 McKay, Ann Marie CC
Subject: Support for Animal Shelter to Community Services From: Fiona Leahy
Sent: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 9:03 AM
To: Kiff, Dave CM <[email protected]>
Cc: McKay, Ann Marie CC <[email protected]>
Subject: Support for Animal Shelter to Community Services Dear Dave,
My name is Fiona Leahy and I have been a dedicated volunteer at Laguna Beach Animal Shelter since October 2011. I want to thank the city for the continued support of the animals in our community. It has been vital to our work with lost, abandoned and homeless animals.
During my time at the shelter, I’ve had the privilege to work alongside a dedicated and compassionate team of both staff and volunteers who consistently put the animals first. I’ve also seen how deeply connected the shelter is to the wider Laguna Beach community. We serve not only lost, abandoned and homeless animals, but also pet owners citywide through services like pet licensing, resources for low-cost vaccinations and spay/neuter programs and reuniting lost pets with their families.
Because of this strong community focus, I support the idea of reassigning the shelter’s oversight from the Police Department to the Community Services Department. This change would better align with the shelter’s mission of public engagement, education, outreach and animal care. It would also help strengthen relationships with volunteers, nonprofit partners and residents who rely on the shelter as a trusted community resource.
With Nancy Goodwin retiring next month, it’s crucial to have consistent, on-site leadership to oversee daily care, support staff and volunteers, respond to emergencies and maintain public services and compliance. As volunteers, most of us are only on-site once a week, so we rely heavily on the dedicated shelter staff to keep us informed and up-to-date. Their consistent commitment is what allows us to support the animals effectively during our limited time at the shelter.
Thank you again for your leadership and continued dedication to the welfare of animals and residents in Laguna Beach.
Warm Regards,
Fiona Leahy 949-939 -3141
1 McKay, Ann Marie CC
Subject: Keeping our animal shelter out of the headlines Importance: High
From: McKay, Ann Marie CC
Sent: Thursday, September 4, 2025 1:12 PM
To: Kiff, Dave CM <[email protected]>
Cc: Braun, Alexis CS <[email protected]>
Subject: Keeping our animal shelter out of the headlines Importance: High
Yet another animal shelter is in the news due to audit
findings: https://californiacitynews.org/2025/09/systemic-animal-welfare-failures-are-plaguingcalifornia-how-can-jurisdictions-dobetter?utm_source=California+City+News&utm_campaign=bb3430c449- City_05_May_2020_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_093e2b3f3b-bb3430c449- 126304894&mc_cid=bb3430c449&mc_eid=6e976653f3
Add them to the growing list…OC Animal Care, Los Angeles, San Diego County… Laguna Beach has not, because it has been carefully managed for over 4 decades by Nancy Goodwin.
With her retirement, we risk falling into the same situation as those other shelters.
The first step in ensuring the shelter keeps the animals’ needs and care at the top of its priorities, is to move it out from under the Police Department, as I have been talking to you about for the past year.
Community Services is a natural fit, and other municipalities have it structured that way. Community Services has a similar culture and mindset as an animal shelter. I’ve spoken with Acting Director Alexis Braun, and she is supportive of the idea, but understandably, not while transit and parking are under that Department.
Transit and Parking had historically always been under Public Works, until Shohreh moved them.
Those functions go with PW far better than Community Services. Alternatively, they can be standalone, like Cultural Arts was for many years…have Nabila act as the Parking & Transit Manager and report to one of the ACMs.
Dave, I am requesting that the animal shelter be moved out from under the PD and instead placed under Community Services before Nancy Goodwin retires. All the details can be worked out over time, but this one change will ensure the shelter staff and volunteers, including the PUP Laguna Beach board, have some comfort in knowing that the City understands the importance of a well-run animal shelter.
PUP has sent a letter to the City Council, who I have bcc’ed on this email, with this same request, and I am sure will be speaking at the next City Council meeting. I hope the transition will already be in process by the September 23 meeting, so that they can just say thank you, rather than imploring the Council to direct that action be taken.
2 Thank you, Dave, for always taking the time to hear everyone’s views and concerns. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this request. As an animal-lover, I know we both want what’s best for the animals, the staff that care for them, and the public that we depend on to adopt.
Best,
puplagunabeach.org · Tax ID 95-3399642
August 20, 2025
Mayor Alex Rounaghi
Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgill
Councilmember Bob Whalen
Councilmember Sue Kempf
Councilmember Hallie Jones
Re: Laguna Beach Animal Shelter — Governance Alignment & Leadership Continuity Dear Mayor Rounaghi and Members of the City Council,
On behalf of PUP Laguna Beach and the volunteers of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, thank you for your continued support of the animals in our community, including lost, abandoned, and animals experiencing homelessness (unhoused animals). We are writing to request Council action on two timesensitive items affecting the Shelter’s effectiveness and stability. 1) Align Shelter Oversight with Community Services or the City Manager’s Office We respectfully ask the Council to evaluate reassigning Shelter oversight from the Police Department to Community Services or the City Manager’s Office.
Why this change helps:
• Mission alignment: The Shelter’s core work—animal care, adoption, education, outreach, and reducing the number of animals experiencing homelessness—fits naturally within community-facing departments.
• Volunteer & partner engagement: Day-to-day collaboration with volunteers, nonprofit partners, and rescue groups is better supported in a community services framework, especially for fielding and supporting unhoused animals.
• Operational efficiency: Specialized animal-welfare functions (intake, behavior, medical coordination, adoption workflows) benefit from tailored oversight and fewer enforcement-driven constraints. • Community trust & philanthropy: A community-services model underscores care and stewardship, encouraging volunteerism and donor confidence—critical to helping Laguna Beach’s unhomed animals.
Suggested next steps:
Direct the City Manager to return within 60 days with options, organizational impacts, and a transition plan for Council consideration.
2) Ensure a Full-Time, On-Site Shelter Manager After October 5, 2025 With Manager Nancy Goodwin retiring on October 5, 2025, we urge the City to initiate recruitment immediately for a full-time, on-site Shelter Manager.
puplagunabeach.org · Tax ID 95-3399642
Why full-time, on-site leadership matters:
• Daily animal care oversight (feeding, cleaning, medical coordination, enrichment, socialization) for all animals, including those experiencing homelessness
• Staff & volunteer supervision (scheduling, training, standards, morale) • Crisis readiness (medical emergencies, behavior cases, intake surges of unhoused animals, fire/flood evacuations)
• Public interface (adopters, rescue partners, veterinarians, donors, community education) • Compliance & administration (records, laws, grants, budgeting, donor intent) Minimum qualifications (recommended):
• Demonstrated animal-shelter leadership experience
• Knowledge of shelter medicine/behavior practices and emergency protocols • Proven record in volunteer management, public engagement, and nonprofit or municipal coordination Suggested next steps:
Authorize posting the position and provide an interim coverage plan to avoid leadership gaps during the transition.
We value and appreciate our Police Department’s public safety role; our request is about placing the Shelter where its mission will thrive and ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality care for Laguna Beach’s animals— including those experiencing homelessness. PUP Laguna Beach and Shelter volunteers stand ready to assist with job description input, transition planning, and community outreach.
Thank you for your consideration. We welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss these recommendations.
With appreciation,
PUP Laguna Beach
Julia Chen, President
Edye Snodgrass, Vice President
Katie Van Harten, Treasurer
Dave Schreck, Secretary
Diane Crandall, Member at Large
Carol Moore, Member at Large
and
Volunteers of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter