By Jennifer Sawhney

Petaluma leaders failed to adequately oversee the city’s former animal shelter contractor for at least three years, and could have averted a crisis response earlier this year if they’d done so, according to a scathing civil grand jury report released in May.

“Of particular concern” were allegations that the former animal shelter provider, North Bay Animal Services, failed to follow city laws on animal bite investigations and reporting, which put the public’s health at risk, according to the new report, “Animal Services Revisited: A City Asleep at the Wheel.”

The Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury, a select group of 19 citizens that serves as a government watchdog by investigating issues of public interest, sent the report to Petaluma city leaders on May 10 after jurors visited the Petaluma shelter, conducted interviews, and reviewed several city and legal documents.

The civil grand jury officially published the report on May 12, said foreperson Wendy Roberts, and the city has until August 10 to issue a formal, required response.

The report listed nine recommendations to resolve these issues, including tightening the scope of the city manager’s office’s authority; establishing countywide animal services governance and management; and making amendments to Petaluma laws on bite reports, administrative hearings, and bite victim rights. 

This latest report centered on Petaluma comes a year after the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury reported on North Bay Animal Services in June 2025. That report also pointed to a lack of oversight by several contracted cities – Petaluma, Cloverdale, Sebastopol, and Windsor – and noted that the organization was “extended beyond its financial and organizational capacity” to comply.

Clearlake terminated its contract with North Bay Animal Services last August after police investigations, a Lake County Civil Grand Jury report on overcrowding, ongoing community complaints, and the initial Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury report.

When a new animal service provider took over in February, additional reports of past neglect by NBAS in Clearlake came to light, leading several other Sonoma County cities – Windsor, Cloverdale, and Sebastopol – to also cut ties with the organization.

Petaluma ended its contract with NBAS on March 31 and temporarily contracted with Marin Humane beginning April 1, a move that also drew scrutiny from the grand jury.

The jury wrote that when the city terminated its NBAS contract and signed a new one with Marin Humane, City Council failed to vote on or consider any resolutions or ordinances throughout the process.

“The authority granted to the [city manager’s office] exceeds that allowed by the city charter and usurps the authority and accountability of the city’s elected officials,” the report reads. It also states that city council members “have ceded their authority” to appointed administrators who don’t have the same accountability to voters.

That section concludes: “The voice of the ballot box has been largely silenced.”

City, NBAS Respond

In an initial statement issued May 18, the city said when it began working with the newly formed North Bay Animal Services in 2018, city leaders knew “there would be a steep learning curve for a fledgling nonprofit to achieve organizational and operational excellence.”

Accordingly, the city provided resources and operational support knowing that that would take time. “The city believed the challenges were not insurmountable,” according to the statement.

City Manager Peggy Flynn said that despite those efforts, NBAS’ ongoing instability left the city with two options: withhold payments that would have worsened the situation, or terminate the contract.

Following the 2025 Civil Grand Jury report, the city fixed the shelter’s roof and upgraded its HVAC system. The jury acknowledged this in its latest report while also noting pervasive difficulties in accessing information tied to the organization’s management structure and transparency.

“The grand jury received no response from NBAS to its request for documents,” the report reads. “Nor did NBAS provide complete information on its management of bite incidents that the grand jury requested from the City of Petaluma through a Public Records Act request.”

NBAS also failed to submit annual audits and financial reports, per the report.

Reached by email on Monday, NBAS executive director Mark Scott said that the organization kept records tied to animal control, licensing, medical care, and more, which it has preserved and maintained for cities it contracted with.

Scott said that the organization shared “extensive records” with the city of Petaluma, “including physical files, electronic records, financial documents, licensing information, case files, and database exports. We have continued to cooperate with requests for information and records throughout the transition process.”

Nancy McKenney, CEO and president of Marin Humane, said NBAS delivered 32 boxes of physical case files going back to 2018 “well past the requested deadline.” It is unclear when that was.

Though she has yet to review the boxes herself, she said Marin Humane staff reported finding contracts, miscellaneous papers, and medical information that hadn’t been scanned into NBAS’ shelter software program.

At least one person who has been keeping tabs on the situation was pleased by the report’s outcome.

Saill White, who was a board member for Petaluma Animal Services Foundation, the city’s shelter provider prior to NBAS, said she and others long involved with Petaluma animal welfare said they heard complaints about NBAS early on.

She started PetalumaArmyofKindness.org to track some of those issues. Its timeline is incomplete, she said, but shows events tied to the now-former animal shelter provider. White stopped following up regularly after the first grand jury report in 2025.

“I’m really happy that they laid it out so clearly” in the new report – especially after the previous one was largely ignored by the city, White said.

Scott said he and his team at North Bay Animal Services remain focused on the transition, and are proud of the work that staff, volunteers, and supporters achieved over the years, as they look toward opportunities to support animal welfare in the future.

With regards to years of questions around NBAS’ performance, Petaluma city manager Flynn said, “Looking back, some may question whether earlier responses were sufficient, but our focus today is on implementing improvements, ensuring accountability, and building a sustainable program moving forward.”

The city is working on its formal response to the new grand jury report, and expects to share more information next month as it works closely with Marin Humane, Flynn told Petaluma Voice.