Scores of speakers urge Board to support 'right to rescue' as activists face felony charges in Sonoma County

A large and sustained block of public comment focused on animal‑welfare investigations in Sonoma County and the prosecution of activists who removed injured animals and documented alleged abuse. Multiple speakers asked the Board to pass a resolution supporting a “right to rescue” and to urge local prosecutors to drop felony charges against the activists.

Speakers included investigative activists, local organizers and union representatives. John Frohnmeier and other speakers described undercover documentation of conditions at supplier farms and said they sought veterinary care and sanctuary for animals in critical condition. Several speakers said they had repeatedly reported alleged abuse to county and state agencies and that no action followed; they said activists were now facing felony charges for intervening.

Tony Delorio of Teamsters Local 665 endorsed the Board’s separate resolution on AB5 and urged attention to worker protections; multiple animal‑welfare speakers asked the Board specifically to publicly condemn the felony prosecutions in Sonoma County and to support protections for activists who rescue animals. Speakers recounted a wide set of actions including a 150‑mile walk to Sacramento, undercover investigations, and rescues at farms in Sonoma County. Several said the charges are politically motivated and inconsistent with California Penal Code 597(e), which allows intervention to provide care in some situations.

Speakers asked the Board to pass a city-level resolution supporting the activists, to recommend prosecution of animal abusers, and to urge dropping charges against rescuers who acted to prevent immediate suffering. The transcript records no formal Board action on a right-to-rescue resolution during this meeting; public comment concluded with many speakers urging follow-up steps.