L.A. Council Panel Backs Choice for Animal Dept.

Despite the largest protest they had ever seen over an appointment, members of a Los Angeles City Council committee endorsed the nomination of Guerdon H. Stuckey as director of the Animal Services Department on Monday -- and warned him that he was entering “the lion’s den.”

Dozens of animal rights activists representing different rescue groups packed the hearing room to oppose the appointment of Stuckey, the director of neighborhood and community services for Rockville, Md., saying he had no experience working with animals and that they had been left out of the selection process.

Some held photos of despondent-looking German shepherds lying in excrement in the city’s shelters. Others sported stickers that read “No Stuckey.” One woman passed out a flier that called Mayor James K. Hahn, who nominated Stuckey, “the Butcher of Los Angeles.”

The last director of animal services, Jerry Greenwalt, was the target of a bitter campaign to drive him from office. He retired in April, after enduring nearly a year of attacks from animal advocates outraged at the fact that the city’s shelters kill more than 30,000 dogs and cats each year.

After Stuckey promised council members he intended to work with animal rights groups to turn around a department many in the city say is failing, the council’s public safety committee unanimously approved his hiring and sent their recommendation to the full council. Protesters vowed to continue their fight.

Stuckey said he knew being the general manager of the Animal Services Department was “not an easy job, by no means” and that he appreciated “the passion” of those who cared about animals.

He said that his strength was taking over departments that were “not running quite as well as they should.”

As they began questioning Stuckey, all three council members present -- Cindy Miscikowski, Dennis Zine and Bernard C. Parks -- said they had never seen such an outpouring of opposition to an appointment.

Zine also expressed concern for Stuckey’s family, warning Stuckey that he was “going into the lion’s den.”

Across the country, animal services departments have long been the targets of activists angered by the number of animals killed in shelters. But the battle has been notoriously personal and nasty in Los Angeles, where the shelters receive nearly 60,000 animals each year.

Activists contend that despite budget cuts, the department does not do nearly enough to find alternatives to euthanizing, such as spay-and-neuter programs and promoting adoptions.

Some activists have taken this message directly to the homes of city leaders. Several times, activists protested outside the homes of Greenwalt and Hahn and put fliers in their neighbors’ mailboxes listing their alleged crimes.

On one occasion, someone vandalized Greenwalt’s house and spray-painted the word “murderer” on his car.

Another time, activists dressed as skeletons and holding pictures of dead dogs massed outside Hahn’s home in San Pedro.

After Greenwalt left, Hahn vowed to conduct an exhaustive search for his replacement and to include animal activists in the selection process.

While a few activists spoke in favor of Stuckey at the hearing, the vast majority expressed outrage at his selection and claimed they had been shut out of the process.

Dr. Richard McLellan of the Animal Legislative Action Network said he had “come to express my frustration.” He said that he had been trying to persuade animal advocates in Los Angeles to voice their concerns through the political process, and that excluding them only pushed them to protest in the streets.

“I’m appalled,” said Isabell Csaki, who rescues stray animals. “We feel we are trying to save the Titanic from sinking.... We were so hopeful ... to get someone who would cooperate with us.”

Their concerns prompted Councilman Parks, who is running for mayor, to rebuke the mayor’s office for not being more inclusive.

Deputy Mayor Doane Liu defended the process. He said the mayor’s office started with a focus group, which included representatives from animal rights groups, to develop criteria for the job. Then, a nationwide search was conducted, chaired by Madeline Bernstein, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

That group chose Stuckey because of his leadership skills, management abilities and compassion, Bernstein said.

Liu added that the mayor’s office “did not deal with illegitimate terrorist organizations,” a reference to the protesters who have staked out Hahn’s house.