• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Mayoral Pardon?

Joebar4000

Joebar4000

New member
Joined
Nov 17, 2002
Location
Los Gatos hills
Moto(s)
Anything I can get my hands on for now
Name
Ian
Does anyone know - and yes, I've spent HOURS looking for this online with no conclusive answer - do Mayors in California have the power to pardon?

Specifically, to issue a pardon for a dog, or at least to commute a euthanasia order to a permanent removal from the city?

Thanks.
 
I imagine it depends on the city and the crime. In some cities the mayor is runs the city, in some the city council does. He appoints heads of departments to run the city, and he can fire them, if it is a strong mayor. He can put a lot of pressure on any city employee, including the DA, to follow a certain path. Whether the payback is there is an entirely different thing. I don't think they are in the chain of command to over ride a city official, just to fire them and appoint another.
 
Ugh :(

The governor can, apparently. How likely do you think me getting the Governator's ear is?
 
Poor Lucy. :( She is such a good natured dog and doesn't deserve her fate. Hope somehow you can save her.
 
Thanks Terry, we're trying.

Now she has a friend on the Sunnyvale Board of Commerce, as well as in the Los Gatos PD, putting in good words. Not sure what they can do, but I'm calling in every favor I've ever had.
 
From the details you told me it sounded like mutual combat between that chihuahua (had to look that damn word up) and your dog. I can't believe that was not a consideration of the city animal control.

I've always hated chihuahuas (no offense Melissa :) ) and poodles. At least Lucy help rid the world of one more jittery pest. :p j/k people
 
I'm sorry that I can't answer your question specifically, but what would happen if she "ran away" and six months from now you "found" a dog that as a stroke of fantastic fortune happened to look a lot like her, and in memory of the dog that had "run away" you name your second dog Lucy as well?
 
I did a covert mission at an animal control back in the day to get my poor max out, but he was in the stray area. good luck with everything. do you think a letter writing campaign from your extended family here at barf might help?:cry
 
What's the law on bribing animal control?
 
Can the dog be spared if it goes to live in another city or county?
 
Find out who runs animal control (if it's the city or the county) and who they are under.
You could try getting an attorney involved to keep Lucy alive until things can be sorted out. There also should be some type of hearing process.
 
oh no.. your doggies is locked up!!!! :(

I wrote a letter to Ellen Taucher and saw her representative in Walnut Creek, she made a phone call to INS to change my address on my papers for me. I think if you maybe make an appointment to see someone in the Animal Control for your county, they might help. I'll do some searching for you and see you has the authority to do a pardon like this. I'm thinking you can maybe somehow plead your case to the courts and the judge can pardon. You can sort of make a lawsiut out of it somehow. I know it's rediculous considering everyone here is lawsuit happy, but it might work. I'm just beginning to volunteer at the Antioch County Animal Services, I'll ask the ladies if they know anything.

Best of luck :(
 
afm199 said:
I imagine it depends on the city and the crime. In some cities the mayor is runs the city, in some the city council does. He appoints heads of departments to run the city, and he can fire them, if it is a strong mayor. He can put a lot of pressure on any city employee, including the DA, to follow a certain path. Whether the payback is there is an entirely different thing. I don't think they are in the chain of command to over ride a city official, just to fire them and appoint another.
Click to expand...

I work for the City. This is more or less how things work in SF.
 
I find your case interesting. I've had more than one dog owner lament that their good natured [insert any large breed here] dog gets attacked, threatened and/or instigated by small dogs all the time....to the point where they stopped taking their dog to the dog park.

Chihuahuas seem to have a reputation for this the most - it's a dominance issue I think. My Baby (teeny tiny Chi/Doxie mix) is VERY aggresive towards big dogs. Little and medium sized dogs she doesn't really care about, but get her near a bully or shepard and she goes bezerk! I never let her off the leash near other dogs because I fear she would attack them, then get eaten by a dog with a head bigger than her whole body. I think that owners of small breeds think that their dogs are small and can't hurt anything, but they don't realize that most dogs, when faced with a dominance challenge from another dog, will face that challenge.

I hope you get your Lucy back. Unfortunately, due to her breed (and its bad press), I don't see any politician stepping in to help. Good luck!
 
Wow, thanks for all the kind words guys.

To recap for those that don't know:

Lucy got out, got into a fight with her long-time nemesis, Bobbi, a Chihuahua that lived 4-doors down. The Chihuahua lost. Incidentally, the Chihuahua had tried to attack me, Lucy, Desiree, my two-year old son on numerous occasions, through the fence. This apparently, in the eyes of Mark Stivers and Craig Walsh (Superior court judge) doesn't constitute provocation...

We had the Sunnyvale admin hearing, the deputy chief (Mark Stivers) decided she was vicious and should be put down.

We then appealed at Superior court, the Judge decided not to change that sentence.

We then put in a motion for reconsideration and the Judge refused to hear it, citing CA agricultural code, which is interesting considering that he refused to hear the CASE under CA agricultural code.

As an FYI, Sunnyvale code says that any unlicensed animal, or animal at large, PERCEIVED to act aggressively (even if not attack was made) is considered vicious...

CA law states that a dog isn't vicious unless they cause an injury to a human that requires stitches - not the case at all here.

Attacks on domestic animals would get her a 'potentially dangerous dog' label, non of the remedies for this are euthanasia.

However, under CA law, principalities can make their own laws... which is what the judge used to justify his decision to stay with the Sunnyvale verdict, but interestingly refused to hear the motion to reconsider under Agricultural code - go figure... :|

If anyone wants to write to Sunnyvale Dept. of Public Safety, please be my guest. We collected 25 sworn statements attesting to her temperament and her total lack of danger to humans, that she's socialized numerous foster dogs within Badrap.

We're trying to get an audience with the Major - we've been told not to contact him directly, so please don't write to him directly (Unless you are his BFF of course!).

There is a precedent for the governor to issue a pardon, and for SOME mayor's, but it looks like that's down to each city's ordinance.

We're not even looking for a pardon anyway, just commute the death sentence to removal from the city would be just fine with us - we're totally OK with moving town to save her life.
 
OK, I was joking about Arnie, but I'm writing him a letter now!

Seems Lucy has made a lot of friends! One of the people that wrote her a declaration is friends with one of his assistants.

Shit, I'm all choked up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top