Captain Ali Khan of the San Leandro Police Department told the City Council on Dec. 8 that the department has relied on East Bay SPCA for animal-sheltering services since 2021 and recommended extending the agreement through June 30, 2027.

Khan said staff conducted a multi‑county review and found that regional capacity and staffing limits made East Bay SPCA the only viable provider. He told council the city anticipates an annual contract amount of roughly $398,000 for fiscal 2026 and that a similar figure will be needed for fiscal 2027, with an additional appropriation of $181,000 required in FY27. Khan asked the council to "adopt a resolution to approve and authorize our City Manager to execute Amendment Number 2" and to authorize "an increase in the contract amount of $579,000, not to exceed $1,517,000," as presented to the council.

Councilmembers and staff questioned specifics of the statistics and operations. Councilmember Simon asked whether the city runs a neuter/spay program; Khan said the city does not, and that East Bay SPCA offers "low-cost" spay/neuter for San Leandro residents (staff cited a typical cost of about $40–$50 per animal). Khan and an animal-control supervisor described a 5‑day hold policy, subsequent behavioral assessments and a reported shelter live‑release rate of about 93 percent.

On intake and bites, staff explained that the category labeled "dog versus people" records incidents of dogs biting people and that quarantine‑at‑home can be used when an animal is current on rabies vaccination. Khan said the city has tightened intake protocols to emphasize reunification where appropriate to limit sheltering costs.

Members of the public raised budget and transparency concerns. A caller identified as Lucas said the contract’s step‑pricing and base thresholds appear to be more expensive under the proposed amendment and urged the council to review page 19 of the consulting services agreement. Douglas Spalding and Susan Erb called for more support for community volunteers working on feral‑cat efforts.

After questions and public comment, Councilmember Aguilar moved approval and Councilmember Simon seconded. The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 2 with East Bay SPCA as presented.

The agreement extension now moves forward with the funding plan described by staff. Council staff said an additional budget appropriation for FY27 will be considered in the mid‑cycle update.