La Russa cuts ties with rescue group
Founder cites concerns with the nonprofit's `leadership, policies and attitudes'
Two days after the Animal Rescue Foundation put an upbeat spin on the split between the East Bay animal welfare nonprofit and its founders, Tony La Russa and his family took matters in another direction entirely. On Wednesday, they said they dissolved the partnership, which dates to 1991, because they believe the group's leaders are no longer committed to fostering a culture of “compassion and care for animals” and “mutual respect” among employees.
In a statement shared with this news organization, the former Oakland A's manager said he and his family have asked to have their names removed from the organization's signage and no longer want their “reputations” associated with the nonprofit, which long has been synonymous with the Alamobased family's brand of local philanthropy. The La Russa family's attorney sent ARF a cease-and-desist letter Friday demanding that the nonprofit stop using La Russa names, likenesses and social media accounts within the next 90 days. The family also is demanding the return of its personal baseball and music memorabilia.
ARF's news release, issued on Monday, had said the parting of ways capped “30 years of a successful partnership” and marked “ARF's evolution and response to today's challenges in animal welfare.”
La Russa's statement was considerably more blunt.
“Compassion and care for animals is our family's passion,” La Russa said in his statement. “But ARF's current leadership, policies and attitudes work against fulfilling its mission. We have concluded we must completely separate ourselves, our name and our reputation from ARF.”
La Russa, who retired from baseball in October, said that for years, the “close-knit culture” of ARF had been “like an extended” family — “like-minded peo- ple who shared a passion for animals” and “a bond of mutual respect and trust.”
“This culture was an important factor in ARF's early and continued success,” La Russa said. “That is, sadly, no longer the case, which is why we no longer want to be associated with the foundation we created.”
The La Russa family first raised concerns about ARF's leadership in April 2021 when the organization faced allegations that its executives nurtured a “toxic” workplace culture, rife with bullying, favoritism, retaliation and ageist and racist comments. The venerable Bay Area nonprofit was hit with four lawsuits filed by former and current employees who alleged that longtime ARF Executive Director Elena Bicker and board President Greg McCoy “tolerated, engendered and permitted a toxic workplace culture.” One of those lawsuits since has been settled on undisclosed terms, and the other three still are pending, according to Contra Costa County Superior Court records.
La Russa, his wife and daughters resigned from the board that spring but agreed to remain loosely affiliated with ARF to aid in its fundraising efforts while the organization was supposed to make changes. “The final straw,” the statement said, came last month, when ARF “mishandled” the Feb. 9 adoption of a dog named Lovebug.
As the statement recounts the story, despite behavior notes and instructions saying that Lovebug needed a harness, ARF sent Lovebug home with her elderly adopters without one. The dog, a Chihuahua mix, immediately escaped. Over the next two weeks, the La Russas learned that ARF had halted several search and rescue attempts, even though Lovebug had been seen numerous times by neighbors.
Finally, on a night when temperatures dipped below freezing, a group of volunteers and members of the La Russa family set a trap for Lovebug, who was safely captured and now lives with Tony La Russa's daughter Bianca. But instead of celebrating that Lovebug's life had been saved, ARF told the 20-year volunteer who had organized the rescue that her services were no longer needed, the statement said.
“This response to a person who has devoted 10-15 hours per week to the organization for 20 years, and fostered over 570 animals, is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” the La Russa family said.
In a statement Wednesday, ARF did not address the leadership and workplace complaints, the Lovebug incident or the breakdown of its relationship with the La Russa family. ARF said its board, “after careful consideration,” voted March 1 to “officially separate from the La Russa family. … We extend our gratitude to Tony and his family for their passion for animals and support of our organization over the years. We remain committed to serving our beloved community and look forward to continuing to make a positive impact in the lives of animals and the people who love them.”
Susan Lee Vick replaced Bicker as the organization's top executive in January. In a brief statement Tuesday, ARF marketing manager Cole Kuiper said Tuesday that Bicker's departure had nothing to do with the 2021 leadership controversy and “was solely related to the fact she and her husband both planned to retire in 2022.”
The La Russa family founded the organization after a stray cat wandered onto the playing field during a 1990 game between the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees. La Russa, then the A's manager, and his wife learned the cat likely would be euthanized because the East Bay didn't have a no-kill shelter and established an organization to rescue dogs and cats from high-kill shelters and help them be adopted into loving homes.
The organization's mission and Tony La Russa's connections won ARF support from enthusiastic volunteers and famous friends in sports and entertainment who helped with annual fundraisers such as its annual Stars to the Rescue benefit. ARF soon grew into a preeminent Bay Area animal welfare nonprofit, responsible for over 47,000 animal adoptions and operating out of a gleaming animal shelter, veterinary hospital and community center in Walnut Creek.