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Cathryn Rakich

Editor and Home Design and Pets Columnist

About This Author

Cathryn Rakich has been a writer and editor in the Sacramento area for 35 years, with articles in local, state and national publications. She is also active in the animal-welfare community, volunteering for local animal rescue groups. Her latest endeavor is as a ceramics artist.

Articles by this author

‘Not Giving Up’

Destruction of miles of riparian habitat, including hundreds of trees, along the lower American River is scheduled to begin this fall.

The Central Valley Flood Protection Board approved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ latest erosion-control project, despite pleas by engineers, biologists, scientists, geologists, professors, environmentalists and community activists to rethink the devastation.

Contract 3B stretches from the Howe Avenue bridge to east of Watt Avenue. The erosion-control work is part of the Corps’ plan to protect the city from floods.

Bulldozers will demolish as many as 700 trees, including 300-year-old oaks, and established vegetation. Trucks will deposit tons of jagged rock and rubble along the banks and into the water. The river’s south and north sides will be fenced for equipment staging.

Under Her Watch

Kennel floors covered in excrement. Beds and blankets crusted with diarrhea and vomit. Water bowls lined with green slime.

Animals languished in squalid and inhumane conditions without relief under the leadership of Staycee Dains, then-general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, according to reports from a national animal welfare organization.

Now Dains is shelter operations manager at Sacramento city’s Front Street Animal Shelter.

Dains held leadership positions at animal shelters in Pasadena, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Long Beach and Ohio. In 2023, she was named general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, overseeing six LA city shelters.

Disturbing Allegations

Under Philip Zimmerman’s leadership over the last five years, the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter has ignored spay/neuter laws, increased euthanasia, turned away unaltered stray animals and let hundreds of animal control service calls go unanswered.

A recent city audit also cites a lack of a community spay/neuter program, overcrowded kennels, unfinalized policies, uncollected fees and low employee morale.

Now, Zimmerman has hired Staycee Dains to run Front Street’s shelter operations.

Dains, previously with Long Beach and San Jose animal shelters, was named general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services in 2023, overseeing six LA city shelters.

Too Little, Too Late

It’s not complicated. High-volume spay/neuter is the most effective way to stop the influx of unwanted dogs and cats.
Lacking such a program, Front Street Animal Shelter has big problems.

In the five years since Phillip Zimmerman took over as Front Street manager, the city’s homeless animal population has exploded. Stray dogs and cats entering Front Street grew from 6,309 in 2022 to 8,457 in 2024.

Tax Cheat

Bill Russell, philosopher and basketball legend, told me what he thought of Sacramento when he moved to town in 1987 to coach the Kings.

He said Sacramento was Fresno with a capitol.

I exaggerate when I say Russell moved here. He disliked Sacramento so much that he lived in Rancho Murieta, a golf community on Amador County’s doorstep.