Union says San Jose animal shelter needs new leader to ‘reset the culture’

The union representing the frontline workers at San José’s beleaguered Animal Care Center has implored the city to hire a new director from outside the ranks, warning that a failure to do so would erode trust, morale and service and “perpetuate the very dysfunction the city claims to want to fix.”

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Although the city is pushing forward with recommendations from a scathing audit that took the shelter to task for operating above capacity and poor conditions, animal advocates are questioning the progress made and clamoring for a complete overhaul of leadership.

In a letter sent on Monday to Public Works Director Matt Loesch, the union released results of an internal survey, which found that the vast majority of participating staffers supported a new, outside voice as the cit