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____________________________ Greetings all, As many of you may be aware, it is the understanding of OC Animal Care that Trap Neuter Release (TNR) and Return To Field (RTF) programs are considered to be willful abandonment of an animal pursuant to California Penal Code, 597s. With the information currently available, releasing unowned and unmonitored animals into the community to fend on their own constitutes abandonment. The law does not specify exceptions for unsocialized or feral cats, or any other domestic animal. The only exception listed pertains to native wildlife and cats are not defined as native wildlife. With that being said, OC Animal Care is committed to helping animals in our community and to addressing the needs of our residents to the extent that such actions are consistent with applicable law. It is also important to note OC Animal Care is not the only animal care service provider in Orange County. OC Animal Care serves 14 cities and the unincorporated area, sharing the responsibility of caring for animals with 20 other jurisdictions. We are working internally to identify and develop options that support public safety and animal welfare. While we can't allocate resources to TNR, we are happy to consider other programs and perspectives. To give those interested an equal opportunity to provide feedback beyond TNR/RTF, we will be gathering information from various stakeholders in the community and would like to hear from you. We encourage your ideas and input be directed in writing to OC Animal Care Director, Andi Bernard (Andi.Bernard@occr.ocgov.com) so we can continue to work together on the behalf of animals in Orange County. After gathering written feedback from stakeholders, we will internally discuss next steps and be sure to follow-up with the community. Warm regards, Andi Bernard Director, OC Animal Care Office: 714-796-6414 1630 Victory Road, Tustin, CA 92782 6