{"id":2534,"date":"2026-06-19T16:10:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534"},"modified":"2026-06-19T16:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:10:59","slug":"san-jose-animal-shelter-photo-ban-sparks-protest-over-fired-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534","title":{"rendered":"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Dozens of animal rights supporters protested outside the San Jose animal shelter Wednesday, opposing a new policy banning volunteers from taking photos and videos that advocates say help save animals, while the city says the rule is about staff privacy in nonpublic areas.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Administration investigating MLB over SF Giants\u2019 Pride hat warning<\/a><\/p>\n

The latest clash comes after a recent Santa Clara County civil grand jury report found the facility continues to suffer from \u201ca significant erosion of public trust\u201d and noted that while some progress has been made on the audit, critical challenges regarding data integrity, falling rescue transfers and rising animal deaths remain unresolved.<\/p>\n

Organized by a group identifying as \u201cSave Our Shelter,\u201d the demonstration at the San Jose Animal Care Center on Monterey Road called for the reinstatement of volunteers Chris Chiappari and Amie Jan. According to the group, the two were recently terminated under a new volunteer handbook, which was introduced in April. The updated rules ban photography and video recording in all nonpublic areas without prior permission, rendering most areas off-limits to cameras except for the front lobby.<\/p>\n

Shelter officials have declined to comment on the termination, stating the department does not discuss internal personnel matters.<\/p>\n

Division Manager Kiska Icard said that capturing photos and videos in nonpublic areas now requires prior permission and cited operational and personnel privacy concerns without offering specifics.<\/p>\n

The dispute has opened a new front in a years-long fight over transparency at the shelter, which has faced multiple investigations into overcrowding, animal deaths and a sharp decline in transfers to rescue groups.<\/p>\n

The opposition to the media restrictions and volunteer terminations was first made public earlier this month through an open letter signed by 121 current and former shelter volunteers. The letter stated that the removal of the volunteer leads \u201chas left a significant void in our community and directly impacts the care of shelter animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth of these dedicated leaders were terminated within a day of each other for doing what they have done constructively for years: recording video to document the behavior and handling of dogs listed for euthanasia,\u201d the letter read. \u201cIn Chris\u2019s case, this was done to assist shelter management, and in Amie\u2019s case, it was to secure urgent rescue and foster care placement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Farah Ravon, board president of One Planet Rescue in San Jose, told this news organization at the protest that photos and videos are how her organization is able to save dogs from euthanasia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany dogs we\u2019ve rescued were given a second chance because dedicated volunteers spent time with them, took photos, videos, and helped the community see who they really are,\u201d Ravon said. \u201cTo me, removing and discouraging these voices really concerns me.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the sidewalk, protesters held signs reading \u201cdogs are dying while we wait,\u201d and \u201cSJACS is silencing the only voice these dogs have.\u201d Just steps away inside, Animal Services Director Monica Wylie and shelter officials held an open house intended to update the public on internal efforts to improve conditions, where they were met with intense questioning from the animal welfare community.<\/p>\n

Wylie acknowledged the ongoing community outcry over the media restrictions and stated that leadership would take the feedback into consideration, though she made no promises to alter the policy or give any timeline.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Danielle Torralba, a city spokesperson, told this news organization the photo policy was \u201cintended to support consistency, accountability and a safe, sustainable environment for the animals in our care, as well as for volunteers, staff and community partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Police investigating whether shooting game that injured California cop was \u2018chronic behavior\u2019, chief says<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue working to ensure volunteers understand the policies and have opportunities to engage constructively with them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Maddy Onumbu, a human resources professional from Campbell who has volunteered at the shelter since 2022, said volunteers have struggled to get clear answers from management about the media ban, shelter policies and data.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when we\u2019ve asked for clarification, they can\u2019t give us a solid answer,\u201d Onumbu said. \u201cThey\u2019re refusing to put things in writing. And it\u2019s all to restrict, which is very concerning because it\u2019s then, what are you hiding?\u201d<\/p>\n

The grand jury report released in May found that while the shelter made strides in addressing overcrowding and increasing adoptions following the 2024 audit, other metrics have actively worsened. According to the report, animals are staying in the facility longer, animal deaths have increased and vital transfers to outside rescue organizations have plummeted sharply from over 4,700 down to just 1,159.<\/p>\n

Shelter officials said the agency \u201cremains committed to continuous improvement and providing the highest level of service for animals and the community.\u00a0 Many of the areas identified in the report have been the focus of substantial improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2022, the facility has been the subject of two independent reviews \u2014 including a comprehensive 2024 city audit that issued 39 separate recommendations for improvement. Those initial reviews heavily criticized the facility for keeping animals in inadequate and severely overcrowded conditions, relying on outdated medical protocols and suffering from severe veterinary staffing shortages.<\/p>\n

During the last fiscal year, the shelter took in 11,189 animals, including 3,532 dogs, 7,176 cats and 481 other animals. To help address the outstanding audit recommendations, the facility\u2019s budget was nearly doubled for 2025, increasing from $9 million to $17.5 million.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed against the city and the shelter by prominent animal welfare advocate Kit O\u2019Doherty and the nonprofit organization Partners in Animal Care & Compassion is set for a hearing this August. City officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

The petition alleges severe animal neglect, unlawful euthanasia practices and the routine denial of rescue partners, which they contend violates state law. The lawsuit further accuses the shelter of implementing a \u201cmanaged intake\u201d policy that illegally turns away stray animals, alongside claims that management engaged in unlawful retaliation against whistleblowers and volunteer partners who attempted to speak out about shelter conditions.<\/p>\n

Animal advocate Mike Wagner, a former board member of the nonprofit Kitten\u2019s First and a shelter partner, criticized the department over its prolonged issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city continues to break public trust, deflecting and discounting our concerns, and even retaliating against the community that it is supposed to be serving,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cThe termination of these two highly respected dog volunteers is unacceptable. It\u2019s just more \u2018us vs them\u2019 from the shelter management team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more California and US West threatened by wildfires over coming days<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The shelter has been the focus of multiple investigations over facility conditions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nSan Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The shelter has been the focus of multiple investigations over facility conditions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-19T16:10:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-19T16:10:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534\"},\"wordCount\":1083,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534\",\"name\":\"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-19T16:10:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2534#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers - Next City Digest","og_description":"The shelter has been the focus of multiple investigations over facility conditions","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-06-19T16:10:59+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers","datePublished":"2026-06-19T16:10:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534"},"wordCount":1083,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp","articleSection":["Things To Do"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534","name":"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-19T16:10:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c88a584555f93ae4621d9b04d03a5eb2.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2534#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"San Jose animal shelter photo ban sparks protest over fired volunteers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}