Animal Commission Celebrates 50 Years and Welcomes New Commissioners

Happy Anniversary to the SF Animal Commission! photo: Bay Woof

On June 22, 1973, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors created the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare, adding it to the SF Health Code by ordinance. Happy 50th anniversary to the commission! 

If you’re wondering exactly what the commission does, the ordinance language spells it out pretty clearly.

“The Commission of Animal Control & Welfare…is a representative body acting as the eyes and ears of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors with regard to animal issues (public, private, and commercial) within the City. The Commission is an advisory body and makes recommendations about animal welfare and animal control issues to the Board of Supervisors. The Board is responsible for all policy decisions and development. The Commission of Animal Control & Welfare is made up of seven voting commissioners and up to four non-voting commission members.”

But dry ordinance language aside, half a century of looking out for animals is nothing to sneeze at. Here’s just a brief list of some of the vital - and often controversial - issues the commission has addressed over the years.

• Owner/guardian language

• Pets riding on MUNI

• The selling of fur

• Recreation & Park Department's Dog Policy

• Treatment of UCSF laboratory animals

• Live animal markets

• Cat declawing

• Bite-and-run responsibilities

• Humane care for outdoor dogs

• Elephants at the SF Zoo

• The selling and serving of foie gras

• Trap/neuter/return of feral cats

The cat declawing issue was particularly close to my own heart, as it was an initiative sponsored by The Paw Project. In 2009, the commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors adopt an ordinance to prohibit the declawing of cats for non-therapeutic reasons, a recommendation that subsequently became a city ordinance. I’m now working with The Paw Project’s Jim Jensvold on banning inhumane glue traps in the city, an issue I hope will see similar success. 

Due to scheduling conflicts, the commission did not meet in June. That’s because our rules require a quorum of four voting commissioners to hold a meeting and, due to circumstances beyond our control, the commission had only four voting commissioners at that time. This meant if any one of us was unavailable we could not legally hold a meeting, which was the case in June.  

However, I have exciting news to share. On June 12, the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee re-appointed Chair Michael Angelo Torres and Secretary Jane Tobin to the commission, and it also appointed three new commissioners to fill out our ranks. 

Please welcome the following new commissioners to the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. 

Photos left to right: Lisa Fagundes; Lisa’s companion animals Tilda, Jonesy, and Goose; Mikaila Garfinkel, Mikaila’s companion Rembrandt; Mike Reed with parrot pals Screech and Peach

Lisa Fagundes: As of this August, Lisa will have been a San Francisco resident for 21 years. She grew up in Solano and Contra Costa Counties and attended the University of California, Santa Cruz. Lisa currently serves as a librarian at the San Francisco Public Library, where she has worked in a variety of roles for over 16 years. Before settling on library science, she considered careers in wild animal rescue and shelter work, and she brings a deep understanding of the importance of both domestic and wild animal welfare, as well as how vital animal care is to a functioning municipality. As a commissioner, she hopes to move city and county animal welfare initiatives in a progressive direction. Lisa’s companion animals are cats Tilda and Goose - both adopted from SFACC - and Jonesy, a “super mutt” whose DNA test revealed a mix of 12 breeds and who was adopted from the Contra Costa Humane Society. 

Mikaila Garfinkel: Mikaila is a proud San Francisco resident who has been passionate about animal well-being for many years. During the pandemic, she had more time to reflect on the current state of animal welfare and has spent the last several years meeting with organization leaders and animal advocates while conducting her own research to learn about top wildlife issues and potential solutions. Professionally, Mikaila works as a senior content marketing and social manager, which requires strategizing, writing, and narrative development. She hopes to apply these skills to build a stronger social media presence for the commission and to better support communications with the community. Mikaila is very excited to work with a group of passionate animal/wildlife advocates who bring varied perspectives and interests to this work. Mikaila’s companion animal – and best friend – is Rembrandt, a blind cat adopted from SF SPCA. 

Michael Reed: A lifelong animal lover, Michael has been a San Francisco resident for over 50 years. Now retired, he enjoyed a rich professional career that spanned government work, event planning, and even filmmaking. His decades of volunteer work included five years as a SFACC small animal volunteer and volunteer trainer, as well as service as a transport volunteer for Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Rescue. Michael has also volunteered with Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue for over 15 years. He has fostered roughly 20 parrots and is currently fostering two special needs Amazon parrots, Peach and Screech. As a commissioner, Michael hopes to help support the good work carried out by various rescues and SFACC. 

I know I speak for the entire commission when I say how thrilled we are to have these three dedicated and passionate animal champions joining us in our work. As the commission celebrates its Golden Anniversary, we are proud of its many past accomplishments and hopeful for what is to come in 2023 -  and in the next 50 years.

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The San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare meets on the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in San Francisco City Hall, Room 408.The next meeting of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare will be on Thursday, July 13. Information concerning remote access to meetings is on our website. (agendas for upcoming meetings are published within 72 hours prior to that meeting).

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Please be aware that the views and opinions expressed in this column are those of Commissioner Ozernoy and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare .