Hayward residents urge council not to cut animal shelter per‑diem staff; council says review is citywide

Dozens of residents, volunteers and animal‑services employees urged the Hayward City Council on Dec. 2 to spare the Hayward Animal Shelter from proposed cuts to per‑diem (temporary) staff, saying the positions are critical to daily operations, TNR and public‑safety responses.

At the start of a lengthy public‑comment period, Mayor Salinas told attendees there was no plan before the council that night to cut or close the shelter and asked for civil public input. Still, speakers delivered detailed firsthand accounts of how per‑diem workers keep the shelter functioning.

"We are already operating critically short staffed," said Jenny Comstock, the Animal Services administrator, testifying that 47 percent of the shelter’s workforce are per‑diem employees. She said losing those positions would force reduced hours, termination of programs such as foster and TNR, and an increase in euthanasia. "The loss of these essential team members will be crippling," she said.

Longtime volunteers and paid per‑diems described the everyday work that would be disrupted: early‑morning trap pickups, transport to partner clinics, behavioral assessments, socialization of animals for adoption and emergency field responses. "Per‑diems are the backbone of what keeps the shelter open seven days a week," said Tracy Young, who described performing multiple trained roles for 22 years.

Speakers also supplied program figures. Volunteer coordinators said the shelter’s TNR program spayed and neutered roughly 750–1,000 cats a year in recent years and that volunteers contributed roughly 10,000 hours in the last year. Several commenters noted the city’s shelter has not euthanized animals for space for about 15 years.

Council members responded at length. Councilmember Angela Andrews, who visited the shelter last week, praised staff and volunteers and said the council is in active, ongoing negotiations with labor partners to reduce the deficit while protecting essential services. Mayor Pro Tem Roach and others said staff are conducting a holistic review of all per‑diem positions across city departments and that no targeted shelter layoffs have been directed.

Police Chief Matthews confirmed the shelter operates under the Police Department and said the department is evaluating staffing across full‑time and per‑diem roles while protecting legally required services. "Nobody's been told they are going to be separated from the shelter," the chief said.

Speakers urged specific alternatives to blunt harm to the shelter: seek grants and donations, consider targeted rather than across‑the‑board per‑diem reductions, and examine city salary and spending choices. Several commenters urged the council to revisit recent pay increases and other discretionary expenditures as ways to avoid cuts to essential services.

The council did not take action on shelter staffing at the meeting. Staff and council members said they will continue negotiations and review and will return with budget options during the city’s February budget update.

The next scheduled public hearing that could affect broader budget choices is the Feb. budget work session; the council asked staff to provide clearer reporting on realized savings and the timeline for remaining actions.