HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Non-Agenda - CorrepondenceFebruary 23, 2021
Non -Agenda Item
Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Coyotes in Newport Beach
From: Roberta Buchanan
Sent: Friday, February 19, 20211:51 PM
To: Avery, Brad <bavery@newportbeachca.gov>; loy@newportbeachca.gov <ioy@newportbeachca.gov>;
kmuldoon@newportbeachca.gov <kmuldoon@newportbeachca.gov>; woneill@newportbeachca.gov
<woneill@newportbeachca.gov>; ddixon@newportbeachca.gov <ddixon@newportbeachca.gov>;
dduffield@newportbeachca.gov <dduffield@newportbeachca.gov>; nblom@newportbeachca.gov
<nblom@newportbeachca.gov>; gleung@newportbeachca.gov <gleung@newportbeachca.gov>;
Ibrown@ newportbeachca.gov <Ibrown@newportbeachca.gov>; Lewis, Jon <JLewis@nbpd.org>; Psaros, Damon
<DPsaros@nbpd.org>; Schomburg, Valerie <VSchomburg@nbpd.org>
Subject: Coyotes in Newport Beach
[I am asking that this email be included under "Public Comments on Non -Agenda Items" for the City Council
meeting of February 23, 2021.]
I don't know the outcome of any internal conversations regarding the coyote reporting situation in the City (or
current lack thereof), but as of today there still has been no sighting map posted and no change to the City's
website regarding reporting instructions on alternative websites. So, all of us concerned residents still are
suck in never-neverland on this matter........ and we're still waiting.
.........and BTW, the sightings and are killings continue. Since my last correspondence on January 22, 2021,
there have been at least 7 sightings including one kill (witnessed by two separate individuals) that I can report
from my part of the City in part from social media and in part from residents not on social media who send me
information directly. I'm sure there are more encounters from parts of the City beyond my social media reach.
Examples: Posted February 14 abt 7:30 pm
C Pat O'Brien
Newport Heights / Cliff Havers • 4 hr ago
Coyote running down Dover by PCH. There was a coyote that came from Cliff dr to
Dover toward PCH with
A Mack and white eat in its mouth. Ugh ,
IDMike Jones - Upper Newport Ray *';
C Pat O'Brien I almost ran over that same coyote with the black and
white cat in it's mouth on Signal Rd. I was heacl i n g toward Kings Fid.
and the was heading for Cliff Ear. We barely missed each other. That was
the tallest coyote that I have ever seen.
...and, as I've said before, just because the source is social media (or that it wasn't reported to the City) is not a
reason to believe that it didn't happen. There are so many coyotes, and they are so much more brazen than
they've been in the past. We see them all year round now even during the more dormant seasons. Their
numbers need to be controlled NOW.
Coyote Population Control - FYI the City of Torrance (at the behest of the residents) has adopted a "kill
season" from October to March ..... and for that period during 2019-2020, 14 coyotes within that city were
removed/killed. We have yet to know how many that city will need to remove during this 2020-2021 season
and if their efforts last year had an impact in reducing conflicts during more active coyote seasons during 2020
(e.g., pup -rearing and juvenile dispersal). However, the point is that we (and all OC cities) should be
implementing a similar, if not more aggressive, effort.
Recommendations? My letter of January 22, 2021 included 10 recommendations towards getting the coyote
problem under control. Other than some discussion with one Councilmember on the flaws with "Reporting,"
I've received no communication or feedback from anyone else on the City Council or City staff. My email to
City ACO Valerie Schomburg dated January 22, 2021 included 3 recommendations .......... and if you didn't see
them, I'll be glad to restate them at anyone's request.
.......and BTW the reputation of the City's management on Animal Control matters contributes to the public
perception. For comparison purposes, during a recent social media discussion on an animal abuse issue, one
commenter expressed the reputation and personal bias by our ACO - that "rescue" animals get special
consideration for misbehavior often to the detriment of nearby residents subject to that situation, and that
the owners of "rescues" can receive special treatment by truthfully or falsely making that claim. On the one
hand, I agree that there can be misinformation and that truth and fiction are sometimes difficult to distinguish
on social media. However, on the other hand, where there's smoke, there often is fire. As it applies to the
coyote issue in our City, the prevailing reputation of our City's Animal Control enforcement (admittedly based
on hearsay) is the resistance to ANY killing of ANY coyote and that this undocumented "policy" is influenced by
the personal biases and beliefs of city staff charged with implementing those activities. So, I think we can
accurately assume that there will be no forthcoming suggestions or action from within addressing the matter
of coyote population reduction.
So ........ Why aren't you asking them? STOP DELEGATING and START ASKING. The pup -rearing season will
soon be upon us (beginning approximately in April), and there will be many more coyote mouths to be
fed. We want our kids and our pets to be safe and not threatened, bitten, killed, or eaten by intruders that
breach of our personal space.
Roberta Buchanan