March Onward!
The Ides of March are upon us! photo: Adobestock
March is blowing in all around us! We’re now entering the third month of the year - a time of daffodils, of Pisces and Aries, not to mention the official start of spring. It’s also National Reading Awareness Month, and since you’re reading this column right now, you can rest assured that your reading awareness is already right on track.
Though our reading habits may be fine, it’s still easy to feel overwhelmed by how quickly time is passing us by. Doesn’t it feel like only yesterday when our ears were being assaulted hourly with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and we wanted to tell every animatronic elf exactly where to stuff their fa la las?
I know I'm not the only one surprised by how quickly this month has come upon us. But even though January and February went by like a finger snap, the Animal Commission did manage to pack a lot into our meetings during those first two months. No longer wanting to be a card-carrying member of Procrasti-Nation, I, along with the other members of our commission, really hit the ground running.
Here are some of the issues that we covered at our January and February meetings.
We had a great presentation and discussion with Sarah Lemarié from Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue about the wild birds in our city and ongoing efforts to rescue and rehabilitate them. Commissioner Mikaila Garfinkel covered this topic wonderfully in last month’s column so I won’t go into detail here, but I will add how fortunate we are to have people like Sarah doing the wonderful work that she does. In fact, the night after our meeting, Sarah was honored with a proclamation from SF Supervisor Aaron Peskin at the Roxie Theater. It was well- deserved recognition and a fun evening for all!
In January, the commission also discussed Sulala Animal Rescue, located in the Gaza Strip, and the horrifying challenges it is facing. Sulala Animal Rescue, along with Animals Australia and other international animal organizations, sent out a request asking for help bringing awareness to their situation by reaching out to our local public officials. After a very honest and personal discussion, the commission voted to send letters to Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog, California Senators Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi asking for their support and any help they can provide to address Sulala’s needs.
In February, commissioners discussed the Glue Trap Prohibition Act (HR 7018), a bill introduced by California Congressman Ted Lieu, which would ban the use, sale, and distribution of glue traps. Following an informative presentation by Commissioner Irina Ozernoy, the commission voted to add our names as endorsers of the proposed legislation and to send a letter to Congresswoman Pelosi asking her to support the bill by adding herself as a co-sponsor. A priority of our commission, the banning of inhumane glue traps is long overdue, and we look forward to seeing Congressman Lieu’s bill advance in the months ahead.
What issues will the commission take up at its March meeting? Well, actually, our agenda hadn’t quite jelled as of Bay Woof’s press time, though we definitely have a few ideas. What I’m sure about is that we’ll all learn something new and important, as we do each month, whether it be from our presenters, our fellow commissioners, or members of the public like you.
See you at City Hall!
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The next meeting of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. Meetings are held in Room 408 at City Hall (1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102). Information concerning remote access to meetings is on our website. Agendas are published 72 hours prior to the meeting.
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Please be aware that the views and opinions expressed in this column are those of Commissioner Torres and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare.