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Residents demand action over alleged mistreatment and deaths of horses at Artesian Road
Summary
Dozens of callers at the Oct. 23 San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting pressed the board to investigate multiple horse deaths at an Artesian Road property, asked for a necropsy and urged transfer of the county animal-services contract to the San Diego Humane Society.
Dozens of residents urged the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 23 to take immediate action after multiple horses reportedly died or suffered at a property on Artesian Road. The callers said county animal-control officers failed to investigate and asked the board to transfer the county’s contract to the San Diego Humane Society.
Zora Fahim, president and founder of the Los Angeles Alliance for Animals, told the board she was "submitting a complaint to the attorney general's office that you are not ensuring animal welfare laws are being enforced in your district." Several other callers repeated that DAS (Department of Animal Services) had failed to respond, described emaciated horses left to suffer for days and asked for criminal referrals.
Multiple callers asked for a necropsy to determine cause of death and for the district attorney to investigate specific individuals. A caller identified as Carrie Hahnowitz said the horses “never get out of their stalls” and urged the board to remove animals to sanctuaries and to refer the case to District Attorney Summer Steffen.
Some public speakers asked that the county terminate or transfer its contract with the current animal-services provider and award it to the San Diego Humane Society, arguing the humane society would better enforce welfare standards. Several callers explicitly named a private veterinarian and staff (as they did in public testimony) and asked the board to investigate alleged reporting failures; the county did not make a formal response on the record during the public-comment period.
Supervisor Jim Desmond was mentioned by callers who thanked him for speaking on the issue; several speakers directly addressed Supervisor Tara Lawson Reimer, who represents the district where the Artesian Road property is located, urging that she take action.
The board took no formal action during public comment on Oct. 23; after public testimony the meeting proceeded to routine approvals and then recessed to closed session later in the morning. Next procedural steps cited by speakers included calls for an independent necropsy and for the district attorney to review potential criminal violations.
The board did not announce any investigative directive, personnel action or contract transfer at the meeting. The matter remained in the public-comment and advocacy stage by the session’s close.
