Mailbag: Stray cats and kittens face an uncertain fate in Orange County

Is it true that OCSPCA (now Orange County Animal Allies) has stopped helping cats in Orange County?

There is absolutely no organization to help with spay and neuter, which is the reason for the tragic situation for stray cats in O.C.

People from out of state think O.C. has it together, that it’s a progressive, caring county. Tourists don’t see the hellish lives of homeless humans and cats and kittens. This is truly La La Land.

Cities pay very high fees for animal control. Spay and neuter is animal control! According to the Orange County Animal Allies website, “... due to the closure of county operated programs, we have already exceeded our limit of applications.” When people call saying they found kittens, the usual response is there’s no room for them, but the person could drop them off. We know what that means. Death.

Lynn Copeland
Huntington Beach

In reading the heartening article (“97M in place to conserve Banning Ranch” in the Pilot May 27), I was struck by the statement of Guillermo Rodriguez of the Trust for Public Land that “The community that surrounds Banning Ranch has been at it for two decades, calling for this land to be prioritized.”

Living near Brookhurst Street and Hamilton Avenue in southeast Huntington Beach, I was one of the early preservation advocates through my association with the Southeast Huntington Beach Neighborhood Assn. We spent much of our time fighting two projects at either end of our neighborhood (the Banning Ranch development and Poseidon). It was not just the environmental threats to our quality of life, but the community ones as well.

The proposed Banning/19th Street bridge project would have been devastating to our area. It was designed to divert traffic from the development away from an already clogged Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. When the bridge project was thwarted, the next plan was to run traffic up to Victoria Lane and hugely affect the Hamilton/Brookhurst intersection (not to mention highly impacting the commute traffic artery to the 55 Freeway). That also would have been devastating.

In the article, Mr. Rodriguez referred to the remediation process for the land that was due to take place over the next two years. I expect many in my neighborhood will be involved in the public input process for new open space plans. We are all so grateful for the conservation and fundraising efforts that have saved this land, not only from development but from all of the negative impacts associated with it. As with the defeat of Poseidon, people prevailed over profits. Our southeast community can breathe a little easier this summer.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

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