To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: License Agreement with VEG California for a portion of 4800 Imhoff Place, Martinez
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to execute a license agreement with VEG California (Licensee) to allow Licensee to use a portion of the County-owned property located at 4800 Imhoff Place, Martinez to provide urgent and life-saving veterinary surgical care for animals whose guardians are unable to pay for the procedure, for a term that is year-to-year beginning October 1, 2026, and continuing until terminated by either the County or Licensee, with no monetary consideration.
FIND that the License Agreement provides direct and sufficient public benefit and fulfills a legitimate public purpose by meeting the veterinarian needs of Contra Costa County residents.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
VEG California (VEG) is participating in a pilot program designed to close a critical gap in access to urgent and life-saving veterinary surgical care for animals whose guardians lack the financial resources to pursue treatment. With funding from Maddie’s Fund, the program aims to deliver 500 urgent or quality-of-life-saving surgical procedures in its first year, ensuring that animals who would otherwise go untreated receive timely, compassionate care.
Across shelters and communities, animals regularly face preventable suffering or euthanasia due to the high cost of urgent surgical interventions. While veterinary expertise exists, financial and operational barriers limit access-particularly for shelters operating with constrained budgets and for pet guardians facing economic hardship. This pilot program directly addresses these barriers by combining funding support, strategic partnerships, and workforce training.
Surgeries will be delivered through a hybrid service model to maximize reach and efficiency:
• Urgent and emergent cases to be treated and funded through the grant at VEG locations (San Ramon, Pleasant Hill, Larkspur) when clinically appropriate.
• Schedulable surgical procedures (through an app VEG is developing) will be performed at partnering operating rooms on days they are typically closed to the public, expanding surgical capacity without disrupting normal operations. Current confirmed partners include Oakland Animal Services and Antioch Animal Services.
VEG will support each surgical day/site by providing a registered veterinary technician, vet assistant in training, and volunteer veterinarians, as well as all surgical supplies, medications, and consumables, ensuring that partner shelters and hospitals incur no additional financial burden for participation.
This license agreement that, if approved, will allow VEG to utilize the surgical suite at the Contra Costa County Animal Shelter is for an initial period of one year and will renew automatically in one-year increments until terminated by either the County or VEG. Consideration will not be provided monetarily but in services provided to the pets of residents of Contra Costa County.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
VEG California may relocate its grant-funded efforts to another jurisdiction willing to host the surgical work, resulting in a loss of regional benefit for Contra Costa County.