"I'm not a rescue nutcase"

WATCH THE MEETING

the kern county planning commission unanimously voted down TIA'S shelter/rescue application last night. TIA packed the hall as promised. her army showed up donned in "racism is the pits" t-shirts while TIA looked like she was dressed for woodstock.

Peter Belluomini briefly described the process and introduced TIA who was met by the thunderous applause of her rabid followers. out comes the gavel and a sharp warning from Belluomini about future outbursts. contrast that with the biased evil media's description as a "warm welcome". funny how bakersfield now reporter JOSE GASPAR failed to mention that the crowd's kidult like behavior violated the meeting protocol and ticked off the planning commission.

TIA presented her case, opponents and supporters gave their 2 minute statements. the sheriff's office and the fire department were present to field questions and take the heat. they reiterated their opposition to TIA'S SPECIAL request to operate a BUSINESS in a RESIDENTIAL area. then TIA was allowed to present her rebuttal. here's where things really get interesting.

TIA had in front of her a copy of the sheriff's report and felt the need to deconstruct it.

first up, the stolen motorcycle. TIA stated that the search warrant was thrown out and waived two pieces of paper from a court transcript proving it was an illegal search. (one and two. carefully selected pages that supposedly prove AJ's innocence but don't). TIA then claimed to read from the police report listing the motorcycles as 2 different make/models and said AJ sold it to another parolee who she blamed the stolen bike on.

TIA went off an a tangent about the 18 registered sex offenders in Tehachapi and asked if two armed sheriff deputies also checked on them. it was at this point, i thought we might see a charlie sheen type breakdown.

TIA also did an outstanding job of smoothing her relationship with law enforcement, first by stating she had in her possession proof that Detective Dantice's partner was caught shoplifting and then she slung a little mud at tehachapi law enforcement by holding up a community service sign up sheet with the name of a tehachapi cop's daughter on it.

interestingly absent from her defense of the sheriff's report was a denial of AJ's aryan brotherhood connection. :)

other points of interest:

TIA was asked why she was leaving agua dulce. she replied that the property was co-owned with another and the other owner wants to take it over.

TIA made previous comments to the media that even without the permit to run her business in a residential area, she intends to move to the OWR property with as many dogs as she liked as long as they were not offered up for adoption. the county corrected this misconception and carefully spelled out that animal control approved 15 dogs IF and ONLY IF the conditions were met that they outlined in their report.

the county also expressed concern over future projects stated on the villalobos website that were not included in the application: on site private training, pit bull work shops, adoption cabins and 1000 miles of hiking. TIA's response: the pit bull workshops are off site, the private training is now done in hollywood, the adoption cabins were just a dream of hers and finally, my favorite part of the evening: "I'll admit, the 1000 miles of hiking was kind of a marketing idea, it sounded good on the website." i will translate this for her gullible supporters: "I'll say anything in to bring in more donations". TIA launched into some sort of blame the county game. she stated that when she initially called about the permit, she was told to put everything on the application that she thinks she might like to do, even if it is 20 years from now. she said she was misled by the unnamed person on the phone. except that the unnamed person didn't instruct her to put it on her website, he told her to put it on the application! STUPID!

in the end, the planning commissioners said the RESIDENTIALLY zoned property in the old west ranch was not appropriate for her COMMERCIAL permit. TIA has the right to file an appeal within the next 14 days and the planning commission encouraged TIA to have an environmental impact study done ($80K).

tehachapi news

bakersfield now

planning staff recommendation

archived meeting videos

kern county update

the conditional use permit was unanimously denied. i watched the meeting on line. it was quite interesting. i will post the meeting details tomorrow.

Tall Tales for Tehachapi: the firemaster

one of the concerns expressed by the old west ranch residents is TIA'S ability to evacuate all of those dogs during a fire. TIA thumped her chest stated if anyone can handle a fire, she can and has. oh really.

Torres said that she has and will maintain a solid evacuation plan, after having faced several fires in the Agua Dulce area, including the devastating “Crown Fire” last summer.

“I've been through five brush fires, three of them were on my road,” Torres said. “The Crown fire started next door to me. If anybody has a good evacuation plan it's me.”

Not addressing the estimated 10-minute drive from her property to the relative safety of Highline Drive, Torres said she can have an “army of volunteers” at her property within minutes.

“We don't wait until the fire is here,” Torres said. “We have such an army of supporters. We can have trucks and trailers here within minutes. We want to get out early. Not sit around and protect our home. We're out of there.”

you can read the rest of this article in the Tehachapi News. but for now, compare her delusional arrogance with the real world facts of last year's wildfire in TIA'S own words:

By this time fire fighters began to show up and though our mountain was now fully engulfed in flames and having the fire crews here gave me some relief.

The fire Cpt then came over to me and said we needed to get ready to leave. That's when I became HYSTERICAL and said NO WAY NO HOW. I told him he needed to give us a Plan B and that we would under no circumstances leave the animals behind. He gave in and said..."well okay then. Let's do it!!!" He told us to start at the top of the property and get those animals down first. So we began with the 20 plus wolves and wolfdogs that now belong to the Wolf Connection group. I then called my friends who keep their exotic animals here and they came up and began to get them out in trailers.

...But where were my regular volunteers, dog handlers, wolf people??

...Then I began to PANIC again…

...Within minutes as the fire went over the mountain we heard a big explosion and a big flash. I don't even want to know what it was but IT SHOOK US ALL UP.

i would love to get a hold of the fire captain's version of the villalobos fire evacuation.

you can read ms grace under pressure's entire account of the july 2010 Crown Fire wildfire on facebook.

kern county, is TIA physically incapable of telling the truth?

inquiring minds want to know

kern county will be making their decision on thursday. it seems the immediate road ahead will be one of disappointment for TORRES. i suspect that she will attempt to meet and even exceed the criteria put forth by animal control. i do not see any way to get around the issues expressed by the kern county sheriff, although i am sure she will try.

questions for tia

1) why is your name not on any of your properties?

2) why does your website say you have 113 dogs available for adoption, yet you told kern county you are down to 50?

3) what happened to those dogs?

4) will you no longer be promoting yourself as the country's largest pit bull rescue?

5) who is your insurance carrier? who's name is on the policy?

6) why would a savvy businesswoman purchase a property for commercial use in a residential area without first securing the conditional use permit?

7) why was AJ's wrecked motorcycle at the house next door with a stolen motorcycle belonging to "another parolee"?

8) given the past criminal activity on the agua dulce property, what steps have you taken to better supervise your parolees?

9) why haven't you been filing the proper forms with the IRS?

and finally, inquiring minds really want to know, how do you explain your shift in pit bull history facts?

feel free to post your questions here.

liar liar pants on fire part 2: lying by omission

here is TIA, lying not only to her gullible fanbase but to her employer, ANIMAL PLANET.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Wdup7z5b4&feature=related

@ :38 "when parole raided our place, they found some stolen items at the house next door. in particular a green motorcycle that belonged to another parolee but they put it on my husband because they considered it a part of our property."

TIA cleverly omits that the house was vacant and the stolen motorcycle was exactly like AJ's wrecked motorcycle which was also at the vacant house next door.

recall the POLICE records:

"Dantice told me he and fellow investigators served a search warrant at the Torres residence in 2009 and found heroin, methamphetamine and evidence of ongoing identity theft. Dantice said they also found two motorcycles in the garage of a vacant house next door: One motorcycle belonged to Aren Jackson and had been wrecked. The second motorcycle was a matching make and model and was stolen from another location in Los Angles County. The investigators concluded Jackson was using the stolen motorcycle to provide parts for his wrecked motorcycle. Another parolee at the residence took responsibility for the methamphetamine and was arrested. Jackson was arrested for the other items."

TIA also cleverly omits the other criminal evidence found on her property, which according to POLICE RECORDS indicate AJ was also arrested for, ie heroin and identity theft.

be sure to watch this video to the end. the jail escort notes that AJ is an escape risk which his mouthpiece attempts to minimize by pointing out that was over 20 years ago when AJ was a mere 17 yr old juvenile delinquent. intelligent people would look at that info and realize that AREN MARCUS JACKSON is a career criminal and has been for at least 25 years.

here is something that part time residents of the old west ranch should be asking the county supervisors:

HOW SAFE IS MY VACATION HOME IF YOU ALLOW TIA AND HER GANG OF FELONS TO MOVE IN?

who is this guy on the left?

Kern County Speaks

The Kern County Planning Staff released their recommendation to the county yesterday and things don't look good for TIA and her goon squad on March 10.

I will reproduce some individual agency reports on this blog but you can read or download a copy of it here.

first up, my personal favorite: Kern County Sheriff

Dear Ms. Vasquez:

I have reviewed map for the proposed project and found it is located in the Sheriffs East Area Substations response area. Sheriffs Deputies from the Tehachapi Substation would be responsible to handle any calls for service at the location as well as any proactive preventative patrols. The Tehachapi Substation currently has one Sergeant, two Senior Deputies, and six Deputies to handle patrol duties for their area of responsibility, which is approximately 572 square miles in size. The proposed project is in an area known as Old West Ranch / Blackburn Canyon near the southeast boundary of the Tehachapi substation response area.

I believe this proposal will have a significant impact on law enforcement services in the Tehachapi area for the following reasons:

1) Our past experience here with the presence of kennels housing large numbers of dogs in the mountainous areas south of Tehachapi has resulted in an increased number of noise complaints requiring a law enforcement response for each complaint. This is primarily due to the terrain, which reflects noise to a greater degree, and by the lack of other noise, which would serve to mask the sound of barking. When Kimi Peck, a known animal hoarder lived in the Water Canyon Road area, noise complaints were a common occurrence. When Peck moved out of the area, noise complaints dropped to zero.

2) Old West Ranch is in a semi-remote area south east of the City of Tehachapi. There are no paved roads in the area and radio and cell phone signals there can be weak or intermittent. Due to the remote location and the high number of absentee land owners, squatting by unknown persons, some with criminal records is a common problem. There is also a steady presence there of people hostile to law enforcement and to society at large. All these factors combined lead to a standard practice of sending two Deputies to calls in Old West Ranch, except for some "cold" report calls. A typical response time for calls there is about twenty minutes. The average time to handle a call there, along with driving time leaving the area equates to about two man-hours per call if two Deputies respond. A response to Old West Ranch can also quickly deplete resources from Tehachapi Substation.

3) The applicant, Tia Tones is the subject of an ongoing television reality program on the Animal Planet television network titled, "Pit Bulls and Parolees." The premise of the series is that parolees help care for and rehabilitate neglected and abused dogs, leading to the eventual improvement in both the dog and the parolee and the dog being adopted by a caring family. That endeavor is commendable. However, my 24 years of law enforcement experience has shown me that the presence of parolees in a given area puts that area at high risk for increase in crime. An Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report published in October of2010 by the Office of Research at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation puts the rate of convicted felons returning to prison from Kern County at 71.7%. As stated in reason #2, an increase in crime would result in two Deputies (more if it is a crime of violence) having to respond to Old West Ranch for each occurrence.

4) I have spoken with an agent from California State Parole and have learned that no parolees who are on supervised parole will be permitted to work with Tia Torres at her rescue compound due to suspicious activity at her prior rescue compound in Los Angeles County. Since State Parole agents are not allowed to do routine patrol to look for violations, the job of spotting parole violators there would fall on the shoulders of local law enforcement. Again, two Deputies would be tied up at the Old West Ranch location if a supervised parolee was located there. As of 2/16/2011 that prohibition is still in effect.

5) The rule preventing supervised parolees from associating with Tia Tones does not apply to convicted felons who are currently being released from California State prisons due to the current fiscal crisis. These felons are on "Non-Revocable Parole (NRP)," are unsupervised and free to move about at will. Supervised parolees are required to provide their current home and work addresses, making them easier to monitor. The NRP felons are supposed to be serving time for non-violent offenses, but a number of them are believed to have prior convictions for violent crimes. The likelihood of these unidentified NRP felons moving in and out of the Old West Ranch area would be higher, since supervised parolees are prohibited from being there.

6) Kern County Animal Control would be tasked with checking conditions at the Old West Ranch location. Again referring back to reason #2, at least one Sheriffs Deputy would need to accompany the Animal Control Officer to Old West Ranch each time. If known parolees are present, I would direct two Sheriff s Deputies to assist. Assisting Animal Control Officers on their calls is not a new practice. We have a long history of assisting allied agencies in their investigations for their safety and as a method of sharing resources.

7) I have had discussions with residents in Old West Ranch who are aware of this proposal. They have serious concerns with the presence of parolees and large numbers of dogs. It is inevitable that dogs could escape from the compound and be fi'ee to prey on livestock and other animals. The standard acceptable method of dealing with dogs attacking livestock is to shoot them. Those living in the rural areas of the county, especially in cattle grazing areas, are aware of this practice and usually accept it a fact of life. However, in my contacts with animal rescue people, I have found they are very passionate about protecting their rescued animals and can be very confrontational with neighbors and with law enforcement. Should a predacious dog be shot by a neighboring resident, the chance of our Deputies becoming involved is high.

8) I was contacted this week by a gang investigator at California Correctional Institution who heard Tia Torres was attempting to set up in this area. This investigator told me he is an expert in gang issues and had some concerns about the potential for increased criminal activity should the conditional use permit be approved. He told me the husband or boyfriend of Torres is an Aren (AJ) Jackson. Jackson was a validated associate of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB), a violent prison gang that also engages in continual criminal activity outside the prison setting. Jackson is now believed to be a drop out from the Aryan Brotherhood. Jackson is estimated to be eligible for parole in October of 2019. The former presence of an Aryan Brotherhood associate at Villalobos Rescue Center led to criminal activity at the Los Angles County rescue center in 2009 (see reason #9). The likelihood he may return to live with Torres upon parole increases the risk of future criminal activity at the Old West Ranch location here in Kern County.

9) Torres's rescue compound in Los Angeles County has been connected to criminal activity: I spoke to Detective Dan Dantice with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office. Detective Dantice was the lead investigator in the cases involving Aren Jackson. Dantice told me he and fellow investigators served a search warrant at the Torres residence in 2009 and found heroin, methamphetamine and evidence of ongoing identity theft. Dantice said they also found two motorcycles in the garage of a vacant house next door: One motorcycle belonged to Aren Jackson and had been wrecked. The second motorcycle was a matching make and model and was stolen from another location in Los Angles County. The investigators concluded Jackson was using the stolen motorcycle to provide parts for his wrecked motorcycle. Another parolee at the residence took responsibility for the methamphetamine and was arrested. Jackson was arrested for the other items.

None of the points listed above are meant to disparage Tia Torres or to predict future criminal activity on her part. I do, however, believe all the combined factors listed above indicate law enforcement services in the Tehachapi area would be impacted by the approval of a Conditional Use Permit. Currently, law enforcement services county-wide are strained to the point that allied agencies frequently rely on each other for assistance. In the Tehachapi area, all the law enforcement agencies have to help each other on a daily basis to ensure public safety and prevent injury to our officers.

Sincerely,

Donny Youngblood, Sheriff-Coroner, County of Kern

By: Sergeant Richard C. Wood

Kern County Sheriff s Office

East Area Substations Section

Tehachapi Substation

the pit bull community speaks: part 2

next up: pitbull-chat.com

(pit bull owners, if you want to learn about the pit bull, join game-dog.com and pitbull-chat.com)

CA: 'Pit Bulls & Parolees' planned relocation sparks Facebook fight

mommiepit:

Another stuffy person who doesn't want in their back yard. Why did they make that letter such a secret? All this has to made public to go in front of the planning commission. This was aired on TV why didn't they stop the sell before?

savanahsmom:

The woman who is against this, I believe it is a personal vendetta against the animals and the parolees themselves. She is just a hateful woman. Its pretty apparent to me that she is gonna fight tooth and nail till the end, but there are too many advocates that are for the rescue that if the permits are denied, there will be issues. That is what I am concerned about. If this woman is already recieving threats now...I would hate to see what happens if Tia's permit is denied. These folks that are threatening her need to just stay out of it. They are only making it worse on Tia, the parolees and the dogs. my blessings and best wishes to all.

DeeDirtyDawg:

It isn't the dogs id have issue with, it is the parolees. I haVe 3 ex cons of my own to worry about, I wouldn't want those fresh out of the can too close for comfort.

I've never watched the show- don't have tv- does she have a good record of containing the dogs?

lilianaLove:

If it's zoned for residential use, then she can't use it for commercial use. It's as simple as that.

It sucks that she has too many dogs than she can house- maybe it's time to start thinning the herd.

Also, she'd pay for road improvements? I'm sorry, but when did public donations to a nonprofit organization aimed at maintaining organizational function mean that she can use those funds to help fix some city's roads? If I was a donor, I would have serious issues with that.

And if she's planning on using her own money for those projects, well then what does she

need donations for?

Seems fishy.

Blaze N' Pits:

Really, because in the letter that was posted before it was about the parolees and pitbulls.... nothing about environment except for the 'roads being ruined because of traffic' and 'the pitbulls feces and urine' ...... hmmmm.

Other than that it mentioned Dianne Whipple and her dogs case which weren't even pitbulls and have absolutely nothing to do with Tia, pitbulls in general, or her rescue, it mentioned worry about the parolees, and mentioned how they already had an issue with a pitbull and farm animals in the area, in which the dog obviously was not properly contained.

IMO the only true excuse these people have would be noise from barking dogs.... but since she plans to do the indoor-outdoor setup, I bet the dogs would do a lot better with the barking although that would not stop.

This is just another case of pitbull haters and people putting there noses where they don't belong as half the crap they wrote makes no sence.

I agree that any and all donations should strictly go to the dogs... food, bedding, shelter, vet. care, exercise, training, etc. and nothing else. The donations are not for anything but the dogs and I'd be pissed to find out otherwise if I was a person who donated money.

pookie:

I think she needs to do the right thing and put some of the dogs down. How good is their life really? Being caged with no hope of being adopted due to some having major issues. I wouldnt want 100 dogs living close enough to hear them bark, and the Cons would freak me out. Not hating on people but, some of those guys snap and cant take being outside of prison. I have seen it enough in my own family. Its a sad fact, and I dont think I would personally like people I dont know snapping and doing who knows what down the road from me.

bentley28:

I'm curious as to why so many people (especially pit owners on here) would put Ms. Torres or her organiztion in such negative light (put the dogs down, she has too many to re home, etc. etc.). I understand having a opinion on things but to be judgemental on something or someone that is actually doing some good for pits is beyond me. People consider her a hoarder at times as well and state her standards are too high for potential owners. Well we have to take into consideration the risk and liabilty she takes when adopting dogs out (especially pits) to people, simply because if she is to adopt a great dog out and say it bites out of fear then it will trickle all the back to her organization only to bring more negative attention or the dogs end up in the wrong hands for bad purposes. I understand as to why she might have soooo many dogs simply because there just aren't as many homes for the dogs, I could guarantee she doesn't have people knocking the door down to adopt and even then she still has standards for adopters. Even if she takes in "fightin dogs/aggressive" who can't be adopted out she's keeping them homed and not killing them, it isn't the dogs fault it's become aggresive but she doesn't kill them she gives them a home. I understand you shouldn't save everything but she is a rescue not a kill shelter.

zoe: (in response to the dipshit above about being "judgmental")

Well, that's it right there... people are judgemental because they don't think what she is doing is ''good for pits''.

jeoestreich:

Totally agree with this. To me, she is more of a hoarder than a rescue.

zoo: (answer to tia's record on containment)

First time I watched the show, a dog got loose from it's kennel while they were trying to open the door to feed it so I'd say.... ummmm.... no.....

pookie:

How is locking dogs in outside kennels forever good? Or any better than the pound?

I think she has hoarder tendency's and could stand to lose a few of the unadoptable dogs. She shouldn't adopt out a dog that would bite due to fear. that is irresponsible.

I think putting to sleep "fightin dogs/aggressive" un adoptable dogs is much better than putting them in a kennel outdoors for the rest of their natural lives.

Blaz N' Pits:

blah blah blah, tia's not a hoarder...

pookie:

Hoarding has different levels dude.

She is like a lower level one in my book.

I never said they couldnt be adopted out. But kenneling a dog alone and not with one on one contact ruins that poor dog and makes it even more unadoptable in the long run. if you cant get it out in a set amount of time put the poor thing down.

bently28:

tia's not a hoarder yadda yadda yadda

chloesredboy2:

That (I'm going to be nice) woman,Doesn't do a damn thing for those dogs.She is a selfish moron who is exploiting "Pit Bulls" for her own personal BS.I hope she hurries up and goes bankrupt before she creates an even bigger mess than what she already has.

WOOT!

LilianaLove:

As for the property issue-

I'm currently building my own business model, which will be a 501(c)3. I'm still learning the ins and outs, but what I do know is that if I wanted to house a large number of dogs on my property for the company (not for personal use), the property would need to be zoned for commercial use. Commercial properties are usually many times more expensive per square foot than the same property would be worth if it was for residential use. The point is, it doesn't matter if she lives there or not. If those dogs are part of her company, and they are, she needs to have commercial property. Basically the town is losing A LOT of money if they allow her to build on residential property, since she's get residential rates when she should be paying commercial rates.

phillysmom:

Not really that simple. She is applying for a permit which means they CAN approve her use of a kennel for the land. It is done all the time where I live. I know where I live all the property zoned commercial is either in the city limits or very close. It wouldn't be very practical to house that many dogs that close to all the homes in the city. She is applying for a permit "deep inside the rural community", "in a remote mountain area."

As for their claim that their rejection of Villaboos is purely environmental, well that's just B.S. I understand the noise issue but when you choose to live in a rural area there's a whole lot you have to put up with when it comes to neighbors, especially if you are my neighbor.

Lilianalove:

If they don't want to issue her a permit, they don't have to. The fact of the matter is the land she's interested is not currently available, and she's going to have to give them a good enough reason to give it to her.

I don't know what the big hoopla is about. So every town has to embrace every non-profit's ideals? Maybe they don't want the attention from the media and from her 'fans'. Maybe they just want to be the small rural community that they are.

The death threats are ridiculous, and those people need to get a life. This isn't this

community's issue, it's Tia's issue, and if she needs more space, maybe she should think

about why.

phillysmom:

If you read my post I said that they CAN issue her a permit, I didn't say they have to.

I do really think she should have had all of this in order BEFORE she acquired this property. I think that's her biggest mistake in all of this.

As for the death threats, obviously that is unacceptable that is not even up for debate.

chloesredboy2:

The well meaning but completely inept bleeding heart people who aim to "rescue" and

reahabilitate all the poor widdle misunderstood pittie's do this breed more harm than any AR nutjob.

THANK YOU CHLOESREDBOY2!

Blaze N' Pits:

more mindless yammering

zoe:

The goal of ''pit bull rescue'' IMO shouldn't be to ''save dogs''. It should be to SAVE THE BREED and any situation outside of saving a ROCK SOLID dog, and putting it in a ROCK SOLID home, shouldn't even occur with the state the breed is in.

SERIOUSLY people, pitbull-chat.com and game-dog.com are not perfect but they are good places to learn about pit bulls. forget about pitbulltalk, pitbullforum, pitbullsmiles, gopitbull - they're predominantly naive idiots.

the pit bull community speaks

first up: game-dog.com

(pit bull owners, if you want to learn about the pit bull, join game-dog.com and pitbull-chat.com)

'Pit Bulls & Parolees' planned relocation sparks Facebook fight

boogiemanblood:

I wish they'd relocate it to the trash can.

Help the dogs, whatever that's fine. Cashing in on tv shows is bullshit. It quit being about the dogs a looooooooooooong time ago!

Funny she always claims to be broke, but now all of a sudden she can afford to pay for road improvements??????

chef kergin:

rescue nut jobs are worse than fur mommies. i'd sign whatever i had to to keep a bunch of parolees and second hand dogs away from me and my family. it might sound insensitive, but most of those dogs are probably better of being pts. last thing an average person needs (or the breed for that matter) is a "rehabilitated dog" that's liable to pop off with its mouth without warning, especially if they were "rescued" from a fighting operation, whatever that is. if the dogs aren't exploited then they'll end up on the news for something negative. it's all about the money for this woman, as it is for most groups like that (best friends, etc.). and you can bet the network the show is on is about one thing only, and it's undeniable - $ money $.

sorry for the double post but i just finished watching the news clip. idiots threatening an old woman via facebook DEFINITELY makes the breed and those associated with it look good :\ . jesus h. christ people.....i know we've been losing the war against the apbt for a while now but folks are just shooting themselves in the foot with behavior like that.

Lee D:

all them mutts need pts, and she needs some help for her hoarding ways. gotta staff of

greenies, fresh outt the klink that dont know dick about them dogs.

nice fuckin show

BoogiemanBlood;

I've watched the show and it's a bunch of mixed up mutts taken care of by people, who for the most part, don't know jack about these dogs. Try watching the episode where she goes to help the lady with the man biter.

Kern County Speaks: Part 2

The Kern County Planning Staff released their recommendation to the county yesterday and things don't look good for TIA and her goon squad on March 10.

Next up: Public Health Services

On 02/03/11, an attempt was made to inspect the property but due to poor weather conditions I was forced to reschedule.

On 2/14//11 at approximately 11 :00 a.m,. I conducted an inspection at 17000 Snowshoe Lane, Tehachapi, California, 93561. This location is the proposed location for a rescue requesting a 100 dog limit. The majority of the property is located in a mountainous area located in the Tehachapi Mountains.

At the time of inspection, there were no signs of kennels, fencing that may be used to secure animals, septic trenches for cleaning, or the presence of an electricity source. This property is vacant of utilities for use to support a water system. This property had a single-family dwelling, a workshop about 25 feet by 50 feet, and a C-train that will only be accessible by 4-wheel drive in poor weather conditions. In its current condition, this property is not adequate for properly housing animals.

Inspection - 36420 Anthony Road, Santa Clarita, California, 91390

On, 02/24/2011, at approximately 12:45 p.m, I conducted an inspection of the property where Torres currently resides. Torres indicated that there were approximately 100 rescued pit bulls located at 36420 Anthony Road, Santa Clarita, California, 91390. The property had minimal incline with pea gravel laid throughout the property. The kennels were constructed in a manner to avoid her dogs from digging out, climbing over, or eating though the fencing. There were also exterior fence lines in place to avoid dogs from escaping. Each dog was housed in a separate kennel, with a doghouse, fresh bedding, water, and clean pea gravel. During my inspection, I noted there was no smell of urine or fecal matter in the dogs kennel areas. Each dog was housed appropriately by dogs they were compatible with to avoid fence fighting. I observed the dogs to be of healthy weight, void of any illness, and friendly to my interactions.

During my inspection, Torres stated they remove feces daily and it is taken to the local landfill. Bedding is washed on a continual basis, and soiled bedding is kept in bags until it is washed. Dog dishes and water bowls were cleaned daily. I found the construction of this property ideal for her rescue, and had minimal concern over land erosion.

Division Recommendations

After reviewing the proposed site plan submitted to the Kern County Planning Commission for consideration of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), the Division cannot support the amount of dogs requested by Tones. Based on the size of the residence, workshop, and property design Kern County Animal Control can only support the movement of 15 dogs at this time. This is only after kennels are in place inside the workshop, outside of weather conditions. A cleaning policy would need to be in place for hosing of the cement to drain into a septic system. Utilities would also need to be provided for heating, cooling, cleaning, and daily animal needs. The Division recommends that not more than 15 dogs be approved by the Kern County Planning Department for the size of the building currently on the property. If the dogs are housed in building currently on the property, it will require an adequate air purification system that can eliminate ammonia, ventilation to prevent drafts, heating and cooling adequate for the building must be water resistant and meet the other specifications contained in Kern County Ordinances pertaining to the regulating of animals. (Attached)

The following recommendation is based on my training and experience, the laws of California and the Kern County ordinances pertaining to animal care and control and is as follows. The Division recommends Torres continue with adoptions to reduce her number of dogs through adoptions to reach the recommended 15 pit bulls. This number is exclusionary to her personal pets. Torres stated she is currently successful in reducing her numbers and at this time there is no indication that assistance would be needed to accomplish this goal.

When all Kern County Ordinances pertaining to animal care have been met to support the number of dogs requested on the original Conditional Use Permit (CUP), the Division will revisit the request from Tia Torres to allow for more than 15 dogs.

Officer J. Sugg AC032

Kern County Animal Control

Attachments: Los Angeles Animal Control Reports

Photographs taken at 36240 Anthony Road, Santa Clarita, California, 91390

Kern County Ordinance Code - Animal Regulations

there goes the neighborhood

the next video installment of the battle for the old west ranch is now available for your viewing displeasure.

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attention gun moll goons:

i can't guarantee that all of your comments are coming through. the number of comments at the bottom of the tehachapi bully is not in sync with the number of comments in the comment window. you might want to continue your campaign in this blog post. i look forward to reading all of your insane comments.

Tehachapi Bully Update

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Tia Torres: Tehachapi Bully

In a very ambitious campaign to bully the residents of Tehachapi, Tia Torres has spun a wicked fairy tale to incite frothy rage in thousands of pit nutters across the US. The fantasy features "an individual on a witch hunt" ...who is... "spewing hatred" against the victim supreme - the pit bull. "Never in my dreams would I think that such an angry and hateful woman co-existed there." Torres has the pit bull posse signing petitions left and right demanding that Tehachapi comply with the nationwide nutter population's demands to allow Villalobos to open a shelther there.

In reality Torres' "individual, angry, hateful witch hunter" is Merle Carnes, a woman in her late 60's and in poor health who just lost her husband a few months ago.Carnes is president of the Old West Ranch Property Owners Association and was acting as such when she wrote a letter to her neighbors in Old West Ranch. In the letter she urges her neighbors to weigh in against the dog rescue for many reasons. Most of her concerns would be applicable to a 100 dog rescue for any breed, though the fact that many of these dogs are no ordinary pitties, but demonstrably aggressive pit bulls already judged dangerous and removed from owners by court orders is a significant factor.

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Carnes and 7 out of 8 of her neighbors are concerned about the impact of a large population of dogs will have on the community for a number of reasons:

· A much smaller rescue on the same site posed quality of life and safety problems for the community.

· Torres' rescue will be 12 times larger than the previous rescue.

· Concerns about the quality of supervision of both the dogs and the parolees

· High number of fighting dogs when dog fighting has been a problem in the past in the area.

· Negative environmental impact of 100 dogs with regards to water pollution and air pollution.

· Increased potential for air-borne dust spread disease Valley Fever

· Negative impact on roads and increased road maintenance costs.

· Concerns about 100 barking dogs diminishing community's quality of life.

· Torres' assumption she will have free access to her neighbors' properties with her dogs (trespassing)

Carnes is not making any of these concerns up. In June of 2010, before the community was aware of Torres' plans, Ken Mixon wrote a letter on the Old West Ranch Owners Association facebook page enumerating some persistent problems that needed to be addressed in the community:

· Stray dogs and owners not following the law

· Trespassing

· Speeding on dirt roads - The Air Pollution Control set the speed limit for dirt roads at 15 mph. This is a health and environmental issue

· Tight budget

Ken Mixon has since decided to support the 100 dog rescue in the neighborhood. He transmitted portions of a letter sent to him from Torres to the OWR HOA facebook page in which she states that she has had "ZERO barking dogs complaints."

That directly contradicts what is reported in an interview with her that was printed Nov. 4, 2010. 'Torres not only contends with her neighbors, who don’t like the barking dogs, but with law enforcement. “It’s a tough battle here. We get harassed by law enforcement a lot,” she says, waving her black-tipped nails in the air. “We get phone calls from law enforcement from all over the country. They love us, except right here in our own county (Los Angeles County.) They hate us.”'

Carnes is not alone in voicing her concerns, however; Don Olsen on the OWR POA facebook page raises the following issues:

· Quality of life deterioration when triple chain link fencing and concrete perimeters and multiple storage containers create an eye-sore like the one in Agua Dulce

· Potential danger if dogs were released in the event of a wildfire

· Increased traffic from parolees and workers, visitors, and camera crews

· Unreliable "promise" that road maintenance will be paid for by the TV production company only so long as the show lasts

· Rumors of expansion to other properties

And in addition to the issues raised by community members, it would be wise for the community to question Torres about these additional issues:

· Reliability of supervision of the facility in light of the fact that there have been legal problems at the Aqua Dulce property both with drugs and stolen property

· Who owns and who will be responsible for the property since Tia Torres does not own it?

· How big will the rental cabin venture be? What kind of facilities will be provided for the renters?

· How many animals will actually be there including rescues, pets and exotic species?

But back to Merle Carnes, Tia's scapegoat created to bully an entire town. When a devastating wildfire broke out last summer, Merle Carnes delayed her own evacuation to make sure her neighbors had been alerted. When her car wouldn't start, a neighbor rescued her.

After the fire, "as board members of the POA, Buzz Grantham and Merle Carnes (led) the team on the Ranch working with the Salvation Army and the Red Cross and doing the coordination between them and the fire victims."

While supporting a large 320 wind turbine project by Terra-Gen, Carnes brokered an agreement to move or remove three turbines that would have been placed too close to the Old West Ranch area.

Carnes was publicly thanked for providing hospice care for a neighbor.

Merle was not alone in helping out after the fire. "Merle Carnes, said it’s the type of community where everyone checks on everyone else to see how they’re doing. Carnes, who is president of the local homeowners association, said they will be taking care of people who have suffered losses."

Not only is Torres attempting to scapegoat Merle Carnes, she is trying to create a rift in a community that has been able to be self-sufficient because they have helped each other out and taken care of each other.

Torres, talking out of both sides of her mouth, first condemns Merle Carnes as a meddling, disinterested person, suggesting that "(t)his woman lives nowhere near the new place yet she, for some reason wants to shut down an organization..."

Then Torres turns right around and threatens to bring in people from hundreds or thousands of miles away to somehow legitimize her cause.

'A hearing has been set for March 10th where the community and Torres will get a chance to speak their minds.

"It's gonna be a packed house. We have supporters coming from all over the country," said Torres.'

Torres and her friends have been spreading the word that if the county board denies her a permit and a variance, Villalobos will be destroyed.

Villalobos Rescue Center in Danger of Closing

"Villalobos Rescue Center in Jeopardy of Closing It's Doors!" a plea from Tia Torres

Villalobos Rescue Center in Danger of Closing – Show support by signing please

VILLALOBOS RESCUE CENTER IN JEOPARDY OF CLOSING ITS DOORS

If villalobos is moving to Tehachapi and leaving Agua Dulce, then Torres needs to explain what she is going to do with all her animals. At Agua Dulce, she has over 120 pit bulls, uncounted dogs of other breeds, about 20 wolves, her own pets - dozens of cats and dogs, and a couple of bears.

On the other hand, if this is an expansion, then it is an outright lie that Villalobos will be shut down if they aren't successful in bullying their way into this community. And if it is an expansion, who is going to be supervising 100 pit bulls and parolees at the Tehachapi rescue, her daughters?

In addition to Torres, the actual owners of the property should also be present at the hearing on March 10th because they will be legally responsible for the maintenance and any accidents that occur there. That's right, Torres' name is not even on the deed to this property. The deed holders are Tia's daughter Mariah Harmony Kaye, a 19 year old judgment-proof girl and a real estate agent named Veronica (RoniR) Raczkowski. Raczkowski is also the "California Team Leader for Best Friends Network."

Veronica (RoniR) Raczkowski

The town of Tehachapi should know what kind of people are bullying their way into their town. Tia Torres, mother of two daughters and "adoptive mother" to twin boys, describes herself this way:

"I'm a rebel, I'm an advocate for the underdog and I've become disenchanted with the "system." (don't count on her to care about traditions,rules, or laws). My kids are my pride and joy even if they don't think that's the way I feel about them. I have a husband (in prison) who adores me more than life itself (she's got no competition) and I am overwhelmed with his heart (but his brain that put him back in prison, not so much). My dogs have been my life saviors and I wouldn't be where I am today without them. My life revolves around all of the above. And though I'm am perceived as a thick skinned, hard as nails, don't give a shit kind of person, its' only because of what our family has had to endure (it's the world's fault if she's a selfish outlaw). We are true believers of Karma and feel that because of all the good things we try to do as a family, that she (karma is not a goddess, but whatever) will protect us and if need be...become one hell of a bitch (the gods are on her side, not yours). Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me. Fuck me a third time...watch what happens (did this suddenly get literal?)."

Aren Marcus Jackson, Torres' currently incarcerated husband on the 3 strikes rule was arrested for possession of stolen property which was found at Villalobos and which he blames on one of the other parolees.

The twin adoptive sons, Kanani and Keli'i, "started off by just working here on weekends...and they're still here. And they fit right in with the rest, getting speeding tickets and getting their cars impounded...and you know, they're now part of the moll's extended family." Remember, people, 15 mph for the environment and the neighborhood! yeah right. The twins fit in even better with the parolees when one of them got busted for meth and heroin at Villalobos.

Both of her daughters are following in Tia's footsteps, pussyfooting way past independence into the land of the outlaw.

Here's Mariah, co-deed holder of the Tehachapi property and her older sister Tania in October 2010:

Giving the nutter salute

"It's funny when people try and mess with these sisters. They

always seem to regret their choices."

And here is their new motto as of February 26, 2011:

Lyrical, isn't it?

In addition, there are the parolees. Torres assures the neighbors she doesn't hire sex offenders but I guess apart from that anything goes. She also claims to have forgotten one of her current parolees offenses...FANTASTIC supervision and very reassuring to the community.

The town of Tehachapi also should know the kind of people Tia has whipped into a frenzy of hate and spite and will be coming to Tehachapi from all over the country for the hearing on March 10th.

This is a smattering of responses to Tia's call to arms:

Chris Burk "This woman (Merle Carnes) is nuts!!! It sounds to me like she is trying to draw attention to herself Because of the TV show. Some people have nothing better to do that to try to cause other people problems!!"

Then there is Lynda Fleming Wright:

who says of Merle Carnes, "So sad that some people never do any Good in their lives, only try to stop people like Tia...This woman I'll just call her Cruela Diville needs to step up and get involved in something worthwile..."

And Tehachapi, please be on the alert for creepy riff raff like this guy invading your town on March 10th to intimidate you:

Stevil Helmer

"I'm behind you all the way Tia !! Making some calls to legal peeps :) I met some really good ones since the last time I was here !"

Who knows maybe Stevil Helmer, his band Die Hard Til Death, and his pit bull might all be there to visit:

With Hanging Friends

the nutter salute

The pit bulls, the parolees, the Torres, and their fans - who wouldn't want that circus to move into their remote, independent, close knit, and environmentally fragile neighborhood?

Is Tia Torres Dealing in Good Faith with the Town of Tehachapi?

Tia Torres has requested that Kern County Planning Commission hold a hearing to apply for a Conditional Use Permit for an animal shelter in Old West Ranch that will house a maximum of 100 dogs.

There are several things the residents of Tehachapi ought to know before they attend the public hearing on Thursday March 10, 2011 at 7 p.m.

First, I urge the county planning commission to require IDs showing county residency for admission to the hearing.

Second, Torres should be asked how many animals are in her possession and will really be residing at the property. Third, they should consider how safe these dogs are.

1. Right now, on her website she lists 113 pit bulls as ready for adoption.

Included in these dogs is BUCKY, a pit bull and mastiff mix, who was found by deer hunters when BUCKY attacked the deer they were tracking.

MONIQUE, according to Tia's description,"and her buddy MAGNUM did get themselves into trouble and were taken away from their owners." The "trouble" rose to a level requiring court intervention which means they likely menaced or attacked a person or possibly killed someone's pet or livestock.

Her buddy, MAGNUM was recently adopted and is described this way:

"...MAGNUM will absolutely and positively need a pit bull experienced owner. You see he and his gal pal, MONIQUE got loose from their original owner and did what two loose pit bulls do...they got themselves into a little trouble."

2. Tia Torres also has six more pit bulls that will be adopted after some rehabilitation. The dogs in this category are unstable, aggressive, or both. SOLO came to Villalobos by court order in 2003 and was to stay at the Villalobos for the rest of his life. Evidently, after eight years at Villalobos, he is now almost ready for adoption.

SHERIFF, a pit bull and rottweiler mix, has severe dog aggression. (If it were not severe, he'd be adoptable, because she adopts out other dogs with dog aggression.)

3. In addition to the dogs Tia Torres has for adoption and rehabilitation, she also acts as a sanctuary for other dogs that cannot be adopted because they are too unstable and dangerous. These dogs do not feature on her TV show or her website. One of these dogs is OTIS, a pit bull that was involved in an unprovoked mauling attack on a 17 year old boy.

The judge who ruled that she can keep OTIS, issued conditions for keeping the human aggressive pit bull: parolees may not interact with the dog. The dog may not be moved from the Agua Dulce sanctuary without a court order, and Tia must make monthly reports to the judge regarding OTIS.

4. In addition to pit bulls, she has other types of large, dangerous breeds of dogs, many of which are among her sanctuary dogs that cannot be adopted out.

You can see some of them here on a page entitled bad boys that she made to show the "welcoming committee" for uninvited guests.

5. As recently as February 2010, she also had 20 wolves, a grizzly bear, and two black bears at Villalobos.

Tia Torres is planning to establish a Fighting Dog Rehabilitation Center at her property.

Rehabilitating fighting dogs is not particularly effective as evidenced by the track record of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, UT, another animal sanctuary. They have a very low adoption rate and a record of dogs escaping enclosure and killing other dogs.

Despite the poor outlook for "rehabilitated" fighting dogs, it is becoming more popular among pit bull rescues to adopt them.

Finally, Tia Torres has a history of bad judgment including attempting to fund her rescue with a brothel, and neglecting to notice her "adopted" children/volunteers were doing drugs on her property which led to the arrest of one of her "adopted" sons and her ex-con husband, Aren Marcus Jackson.

I hope the town turns out and asks the right questions at the hearing and votes for what is best for Tehachapi.