About Us

We are a group of independent advocates working to improve the lives of all abandoned and owned animals in Contra Costa County.

Our Mission

The problem we’re trying to solve

The law allows euthanasia only in limited circumstances—primarily when a dog is severely medically compromised or poses a clear threat to human safety. These cases represent a small percentage of animals.

Yet in Contra Costa County, far more dogs face euthanasia each year—not because they are beyond help, but because of systemic constraints: limited space, insufficient foster capacity, and gaps in prevention and community support.

Many of these animals could live healthy, stable lives in homes.

Why This Happens

This is not the result of a single failure, but of interconnected challenges:

  • Too many animals entering the system

  • Not enough foster homes or placement capacity

  • Limited access to spay/neuter and preventative resources

  • Fragmented coordination across organizations

Addressing this gap requires more than rescue alone. It requires stronger systems, better coordination, and a community-wide commitment to responsible animal stewardship.

Animal Stewardship

Improving outcomes for animals starts with responsible stewardship at the community level.

We promote informed, compassionate care—encouraging practices like spay/neuter, responsible ownership, and early intervention that reduce the number of animals entering the shelter system in the first place.

Prevention is one of the most effective ways to improve outcomes at scale.

What We Do

We focus on strengthening the systems that impact animal welfare:

  • Advocacy
    Working with local agencies, elected officials, and stakeholders to improve policies, transparency, and outcomes

  • Community Engagement & Education
    Promoting responsible pet ownership and awareness of available resources

  • Support for Rescue Organizations
    Raising funds and directing resources to frontline groups providing direct care, including medical and special-needs support

  • Collaboration
    Connecting and amplifying the work of shelters, rescues, and programs across Contra Costa County

What We Don’t Do

We do not directly:

  • rescue animals

  • transport animals

  • provide intake or behavioral evaluations

Instead, we support and collaborate with the organizations that provide these services.

Our Goal

Our goal is simple: to create a more effective, coordinated, and humane system—so that every animal in Contra Costa County has the best possible chance at a safe and stable life.

Learn more about the issues in Contra Costa County

Rescue and Rehabilitation

For Dogs

  • We educate the public on responsible pet ownership and effective animal stewardship.

  • We raise funds to support frontline rescue organizations providing direct care, including medical and special-needs support.

  • We collaborate with and amplify the work of partner organizations, such as Contra Costa SNIP Bus, which provides low-cost spay and neuter services in our county.

  • We use outreach and social media to help connect animals with potential fosters and adopters through established rescue partners.

For Cats

  • We advocate for a strong, well-supported foster program within Contra Costa Animal Services, including expanded capacity for kittens and recovering cats.

  • We support the development of transparent, collaborative partnerships between CCAS and both large and small rescue organizations across the county.

  • We champion accessible, high-volume spay/neuter programs for both owned and community animals.

  • We advocate for accurate assessment of county-wide animal welfare needs—and for policies and resources that meet those needs.    

Our Volunteer Leadership Team

Angie Bass - Secretary
Angela Bass has been a dedicated volunteer for a few different rescue foundations where she participated in adoption days and collaborated with veterinarians, trainers, and shelter workers.  Also, she managed the hotline, supporting the foundation's mission to rescue, house, and find loving homes for animals in need. Angela is committed to reducing the number of unwanted and abandoned animals and promoting responsible pet ownership. Her work is driven by a passion for acting in the best interests of the animals.


Corina Beczner - Co-Founder/Consultant

Yamin Bilal
Yamin has been actively engaged with Contra Costa Animal Services since 2013, initially in a rescue capacity and later as an official volunteer starting in 2016. Yamin has played a crucial role in networking dogs in need at Contra Costa Animal Services through the creation of multiple social media pages and groups on Facebook. Yamin has been a strong advocate for high-volume fostering and, alongside other volunteers, was instrumental in the initial meetings that laid the groundwork for the current foster program at the shelter. His primary focus remains on ensuring the success of both the foster program and the playgroups.

Corinne Cooper
Corinne is a retired retail manager who is passionate about independent animal advocacy, rescue, transport, and networking. Corinne's focus is on helping CCAS’s euthanasia-listed dogs.


Alina Constantinescu

Lori Latham
Lori works full time for a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) company. She’s done independent and collaborative work for two years monitoring and problem solving for dogs on Nextdoor, including saving dogs off the street, finding fosters/adopters, and communicating with advocacy members.

Bara Sapir - Co-Founder/President
Bara is the CEO of education businesses, an appointed Municipal Advisory Councilperson (MAC) for East Richmond Heights, author, artist, and ordained clergy. She’s spent more than 15 years doing networking, fostering, and advocacy for dogs.

Kirsten Vandervorst



Lindy Vejar - Treasurer