Residents and rescuers tell council thousands of animals have died; urge clinics and funding

Speakers during the San Bernardino City Council public‑comment period said hundreds and, in some counts, thousands of animals have died or been euthanized in city or county animal‑care facilities and urged the city to fund low‑cost veterinary clinics, support rescue organizations and penalize illegal breeding.

The concern drew repeated testimony from residents and rescue volunteers. Héctor Ruiz Romo, who identified himself as founder of Redland Rescue, said rescues face “vidas perdidas porque el sistema está quebrado” and asked the council to allocate funding for low‑cost clinics, to penalize unlawful breeders and to support rescue groups with realistic policies that prioritize medical care and prevention over euthanasia. Another speaker who identified as Terry Boy said the city’s mobile‑clinic investment has underperformed and contrasted it with a mobile clinic in Fontana that the speaker said has been successful.

Speakers offered figures they said reflect the scale of the problem: one commenter said 3,553 animals had died recently, listing 1,938 euthanized, 1,281 brought in already deceased and 344 that died in custody. Witnesses described animals being housed together, leading to fights and disease, and said some animals were labeled “aggressive” after incidents that rescue groups attribute to shelter conditions rather than individual animal behavior. Several speakers said prior investments—cited by name as UC Davis and other medical expenditures—had been made but that outcomes remain poor.

Speakers proposed specific remedies: expanded funding for mobile and low‑cost clinics, routine vaccination and medical triage on intake, clearer triage metrics, stronger enforcement against illegal breeders, and policies that enable rescues to transfer animals sooner. “San Bernardino necesita ser compasivo, el matar no es la opción,” said a resident speaking for rescues.

Council staff or formal council action was not recorded on the issue during the public‑comment period captured in the transcript. There was no vote or motion recorded related to the animal‑care recommendations in the portions of the meeting provided.

The public commenters asked the council to report back with concrete next steps, budgets or contact points so rescue groups and volunteers can coordinate with city staff. No implementation timeline or funding commitment was announced in the recorded remarks.

Community relevance: the testimonies hailed from San Bernardino and cited impacts across local rescues and shelters in the Inland Empire. Residents asked that the city partner with rescue organizations and veterinary providers to reduce shelter deaths and expand preventive care.

No formal council decision or directive was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.