CLEANUP City receives thousands of requests for removal of dead animals

and 32nd Street near Interstate 805 appear to be the most dangerous roads for animals, according to city data.

Nearly one in five complaints in the area refer to animals on Adams Avenue, and 12 percent mention 32nd Street.

“Dead animal was reported yesterday at this location. Request was Closed,” one complainant said to the city in 2018. “The dead creature is still there on the asphalt this morning. And drivers are running over the carcass.”

Benny Cartwright, a spokesperson for District 3 Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents the area of Normal Heights, said the office is aware of delays and is working to solve the issue.

“Much of this is due to staffing shortages that the city is working hard to resolve, including offering hiring bonuses and other incentives to new hires,” he said. “It is important to us that requests for service are handled in a timely manner, especially for our District 3 residents.”

Cartwright said the city regularly lists open positions on its website, sandiego.gov.

Most of the deceased animals reported by Normal Heights residents and drivers were skunks, possums, dogs, cats and squirrels, data show.

“Dead cat in front of preschool,” another complainant said in 2019. “The animal is cut in half and worried once school is back in children will see.”

Vacchi Hill said domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, are scanned for microchips and owners are notified by city staff.

Citywide, nearly 4,400 requests refer to a deceased cat or dog.

Data show District 7, which includes more rural areas of the city such as Miramar, Tierrasanta, San Carlos and Lake Murray, has the longest response time. The 1,350 requests in the area took an average of 16 days to resolve.

District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo said he plans to continue his work to provide equitable services to his constituents.

“Since taking office, I have worked diligently with Mayor (Todd) Gloria and my City Council colleagues to ensure equitable city services no matter where you live,” Campillo said in an email.

“It appears we still have some work to do with regard to carrion on our roads. I’m committed to improving this service on behalf of the constituents I serve.”

City Council District 3, which encompasses Old Town, Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, North Park, South

Park, Normal Heights, downtown and Balboa Park, saw the most requests.

Fifteen percent of the 14,000 requests handled by city workers came from the central city district.

District 3 is followed by Districts 2 and 9, which see the second-highest number of requests, or about 13 percent each of all submissions in San Diego.

Neither Councilmember Stephen Whitburn nor his District 3 staff responded to messages seeking comment.