Good morning Commissioners,

I have been volunteering at the animal shelter for the past several months, usually 3-4 times per week, helping with the dogs. It has been a real pleasure to work with Faren Healy, who has such incredible energy and passion for the animals. She is also a true team builder, making everyone - staff and volunteers - feel valued, respected and appreciated. I’ve watched as she has worked to put in place some really amazing innovations for the welfare of the dogs (which also makes them much more likely candidates for adoption), while also encouraging and supporting folks in coming forward with their own ideas, and everyone up there is excited about what she’s been doing. She’s created an environment that is pleasurable and inspiring to work in (and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish in a place that’s inherently stressful like an animal shelter). I’ve heard nothing but high praise for Faren, both from staff and other volunteers. We all love her. So it came as a tremendous, disheartening shock to hear that she was fired yesterday. I also heard that one very valuable staff member quit in protest of this decision, and others were considering it. Obviously I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but I just wanted to express my deep regret at losing such a vibrant, inspiring leader. I would hope that there might be some exploration of why this happened, and what could be done to rectify it.

Thank you so much for all that you do for this wonderful county and the people (and animals) who live here.

Best regards,
Catherine Calderon


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