For months, Oakland Animal Services (OAS) has been plagued by a steady stream of controversies surrounding the shelter's chronic understaffing and repeated accusations of officials unnecessarily euthanizing animals. After an onslaught of negative headlines, a number of city council members in April proposed a substantial restructuring of the city-run shelter — with legislation that the full council approved last night. Most significantly, the passage means OAS, which is currently a part of the Oakland Police Department, is on track to become a standalone city department.

The legislation also sets forth a timeline for filling vacant positions and establishes a so-called "animal services advisory committee" that will give local volunteers an opportunity to provide oversight for the shelter. The hope is that this package of reforms will improve the quality of care at the shelter and allow the city to better meet the demands.

Here is the city's latest snapshot on the ongoing vacancies at the shelter (which shows that there have been some improvements since the city's initial report in early May):

The legislation, from city council members Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, and Libby Schaaf (the latter two are both running for mayor) includes this hiring timeline:

With nearly one-third of positions vacant and limited operational hours, the shelter has for quite some time been unable to offer adequate care to animals under its supervision and has also been forced to turn away dedicated volunteers, according to critics. Case in point: One week after city council members first introduced the bill, a dead dog was left on a sidewalk in East Oakland for nearly a week despite calls from concerned residents, according to Kaplan's office.

The city's most recent report (PDF viewable here) offers additional details on the proposed restructuring and ongoing reform efforts.

And here's the full release Kaplan's office sent out yesterday on the passage of the bill: