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Hahn Squandering Scarce Animal Shelter Funds
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2101 Reads
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By Walter Moore (Republican Candidate for Mayor of L.A. - March 2005 Election - Mayor4U.com)
Guess how much of L.A. taxpayers' money Mayor Hahn plans to spend, per square foot, to build an animal shelter? Go ahead, guess. Do you think it is: a) $125 per square foot; b) $175 per square foot; c)Â $200 per square foot; or d) give me the freakin' punch line already? The correct answer is $788 per square foot. As KABC Radio's talk-show host, Doug McIntyre put it, "What are they sheltering the animals from -- nuclear missiles?"
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That figure, by the way, is just for the building, not the land. If you throw in the land, the cost is $1072 per square foot. According to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News on September 22, 2004, the total cost for the 22,000 square foot facility will be $23.6 million, and the City has already spent: $6.25 million to buy a 3-acre site in Van Nuys; $1.5 million just to "design" the shelter; "and an additional $1Â million in associated costs." Excuse me, but how to you spend $1.5 million to "design" a dog pound? And just what are "associated costs"? Does that mean campaign contributions to the mayor, or what?
If these figures seem a bit high to you, it's because they are astronomical, and because you live in the real world. A state study found that commercial construction in California typically ranges from $150 to $250 per square foot.
But wait, it gets worse! How many kennels will we get for our $23.6 million? Just 167. That means each kennel is, in effect, costing us $141,317! Sure, the cost of the shelter includes an office and a parking lot, but this is out of control! These are supposed to be kennels, not condos!
When you make me, Walter Moore (Mayor4U.com), your mayor, I will make sure the taxes we pay to save innocent animals will be used for just that purpose -- and not to reward campaign contributors through boondoggle, over-priced, Tammany Hall construction projects. Besides being a Republican who's fed up with "pay-to-play" politics, I love animals. I have three "rescue" dogs I wouldn't trade for the world. As mayor, I'll do everything I can to: make our animal shelters "no-kill" facilities immediately; provide free spaying and neutering throughout the City by expanding the "Spay-Mobile" program; establish a dog beach; and encourage people to adopt dogs and cats from our shelters.
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| Posted by: WalterMoore on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 08:02 PM
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