Helping the rescuers who save abandoned dogs and cats

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Aug. 23. I’m Anh Do, a Metro reporter covering Asian American issues.

That’s my main job, sure, though my passion and compassion delve into all things dog. On assignment, I tend to interview canine beings before digging into the real subjects, the dramas involving their humans. I carry salmon pet treats into strangers’ homes, and my car and coat closet stay packed with kibble, tug toys, cozy vests and extra leashes. I do not leave a scene until I know the furry person’s name and breed(s), their age and how they were found. My Instagram and Twitter feeds — I’m @newsterrier — burst with pup content. In this world of wild and weary news, who couldn’t use a mug of a whiskery face?

When I read this piece from fellow reporter Dakota Smith on the trials and desperation at Los Angeles Animal Services, my heart plummeted. How do we help the rescuers who save abandoned dogs and (let’s not forget) cats?

In Orange County, where I live, there’s such a group, tiny and threatened, working in the no-kill arena far from the limelight. Their part-time staff and volunteers handle street pickups, bringing in neglected pooches and feeble felines. They’re cleaning crates, soothing terrified creatures and reassuring homeless people who can no longer protect their charges that, yes, their worries can rest.

At the Animal Assistance League of Orange County, solutions demand sacrifice.

Money. Energy. Manpower. Time. Few nonprofits own those in abundance, and with the pandemic, AALOC has been unable to host a single in-person fundraising event, causing “lost connections to so many supporters,” organizers say.

AALOC operates kennels in Midway City, an unincorporated part of the county, housing 78 cats, four rabbits and two dogs. Moreover, 25 of its dogs are in foster care, along with 38 cats.

“Fostering is so crucial as it gives our animals a chance of knowing what it’s like to live in a real home, how to behave, the rhythm of being in a family. And it really boosts their chances of adoption,” says Colleen McCammon, the group’s president since 2006.

She asks if I’m sitting down as she rolls off some startling numbers. In the last “financially devastating” 18 months, her team shelled out $60,000 to help spay and neuter countless critters, assisting community members who have a “true love for caring for animals but can’t afford to sterilize them” and responding to calls of feral cat colonies.

On top of that, AALOC paid a whopping $740,000 in vet expenses — given to low-income, elderly and disabled pet owners. Bills covered an 11-week-old kitten found by a trash can with a broken leg, and the dog of a homeless man; the dog had been vomiting for days. When the animal was finally taken to urgent care, doctors removed a piece of wood lodged in its stomach.

“Where do you say no? How do you say no when someone’s in a crisis?” asked McCammon, an emergency room nurse. The public’s been ringing the AALOC Helpline daily, and for nearly 50 years, the group and its partners have provided free pet food and vaccinations, along with feeding strays. Routinely, workers find animals like Raul the American Staffordshire terrier tied up in front of the old, sprawling single-family home that was converted into AALOC’s base.

If she and organizers had a wish, it would be for more generous souls to “literally put AALOC in their estate plans,” she said, or to donate now. “There’s a tremendous amount of wealth in O.C. Yet we’ve been here year to year, and we struggle mightily.”

A charitable trust totaling about $125,000 is what’s left of their coffers, allowing them to keep the doors open for another three to four months, according to AALOC treasurer Kathy Alberti, who says she’s grateful for each person who lends a hand — as well as each person who took home “one of our 18 little dogs successfully adopted during COVID, with no returns.”

“You know you can’t look at the big picture and solve the overall animal rescue equation,” Alberti says. “You just have to look where you can make a difference for animals, day to day.”

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

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In the Inland Empire, instances of anti-Black bias and colorism are gaining attention. The two largest racial bias cases brought by the federal government in California in the last decade alleged widespread abuse of hundreds of Black employees at warehouses in the region, the state’s booming distribution hub for trade between the U.S. and Asia. In interviews, Black employees said a torrent of racist insults and discriminatory treatment was mainly inflicted by Latino co-workers and supervisors who composed roughly three-quarters of the workforces at the sprawling facilities in Ontario and Moreno Valley. Los Angeles Times

In the Bay Area, is there enough water to build housing during a drought? There’s hope that the highly desirable area can balance its water and housing needs well into the future, according to planners, as long as it keeps bolstering conservation efforts for homes and businesses while seeking sustainable ways to increase supply. Mercury News

L.A. STORIES

He’s been absent — a lot — but a surprise caller may bring him back. A chronically absent Boyle Heights student came face to face with L.A. Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho, who delivered a pep talk and a free laptop to Yordi Luna’s home, intending to encourage him to come to class. Shadowed by reporters, the school leader and 600+ volunteers knocked on the doors and phoned the families of kids who had skipped 14 or more days during the last academic year. The Eastsider

Need an extra meal, or two or more? There are 25 community fridges now helping to feed people across Los Angeles County — giving all of us a chance to give and to receive. The refrigerators — some are stationed with pantries nearby — store food for anyone who’s hungry. The effort was launched in July 2020, showing what can flower when neighbors unite. Anyone can drop off items, or they can take what they’re lacking. Everything has been scanned into a database so folks see what’s available. LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Startled by that nude photo? Soon, you could sue. The California Senate unanimously approved a bill allowing lawsuits against anyone, 18 or older, who knowingly sends an unsolicited image containing obscene material. Under the proposed legislation, which heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for a signature, plaintiffs may recover $1,500 to $30,000 in economic and non-economic damages, as well as punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and other financial relief. Bumble, the dating app company sponsoring the bill, said a safety survey found that nearly four out of five female Bumble users believed that the sending of unwanted lewd photos was unacceptable. Sacramento Bee

Cool or cringe? Politicians try to connect to young growing audiences — this time on TikTok. The platform first gained traction with teenagers via viral dances and challenges, shooting to popularity during the pandemic as people sought a reprieve from a collective gloom. It’s now a preferred search engine for Gen Z, sparking local, state and national leaders to pay attention as they try to attract young voters. Still, there’s a hurdle: passing the “teenager eye-roll test.” Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

“We believe it is our missing person.” The two-week search for missing Truckee teenager Kiely Rodni came to a tragic end Monday morning after law enforcement officials said a body found inside a SUV submerged in a reservoir was likely that of the 16-year-old. Divers from Adventures With Purpose, a private company, announced that the victim had been unearthed in a 2013 Honda CRV under 14 feet of water in Prosser Lake, near the large late-night party where she was last seen. Los Angeles Times

The verdict: 40 years for molesting multiple middle school students. A Salinas man is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of sexually abusing children at the campus where he worked. Robert William Dunham, 56, was sentenced after an investigation that opened last September, when police were made aware that one student had been sexually abused by his former teacher. Authorities later discovered that Dunham had a history of inappropriate conduct aimed at minors “with whom he had been trusted.” The Californian

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

The chef’s personal chef — taking over, Caribbean-style. A new restaurant from Alice Walker’s sidekick, Verna McGowan, has opened, temptingly named Calypso Rose Kitchen. It’s influenced by her family’s cooking and Walker’s obsessive focus on ingredients. Come to Emeryville for dishes like Guyanese oxtail pepper pot with yellow rice and plantains and to taste how McGowan applied what she learned from the Chez Panisse legend. “She’s an incredible human being to think of all of those things, from selecting where your oils come from to the humane treatment of the farmers picking your produce,” the proprietor said of her inspiration. Berkeleyside

The endless screaming and hoopla over the weekend? That’s the fan noise from KCON, luring thousands to the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center, pinpointing again how K-pop and Korean culture continue to dominate worldwide. One professor described the largely Gen Z crowd as idealistic and welcoming of globalization, meaning that its members are open to global culture, free trade, borderless societies and unlimited online consumption. They are also socially liberal but fiscally moderate or conservative. “Korea is a mid-sized power. It is economically advanced, but without a colonial past. The Korean brand has underdog power. And for cultural sensitivity,” says Kim Suk-young of UCLA. Variety

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Anaheim: cloudy, giving way to sun, 85. Los Angeles: sunny, 86. San Diego: cloudy, 78. San Francisco: partly cloudy, 72. San Jose: partly sunny, 83. Fresno: super sunny, 103. Sacramento: sunny, 97.

AND FINALLY:

Today’s California memory comes from Debrah Kitchings:

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.