The mess behind LA's animal shelter budget cuts
A lot has happened in the past 48 hours. Let's unpack it.
Hello. Today’s newsletter delves into the chaos behind Los Angeles’ proposed budget cuts to the Animal Services department, which runs six shelters and oversees the city’s animal control agency.
I’ve spent the last few days poring over city budget proposals, talking to LA Animal Services volunteers and employees, and doing on-the-ground reporting at protests to understand what exactly is at stake for both animals and Angelenos. In the process, I’ve untangled the mess behind the budget proposal rollout, which even Mayor Karen Bass recently acknowledged led to widespread “confusion.”
A lot has happened in the past 48 hours. Let’s unpack it.
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Budget cuts, protests, and a $5 million question
It’s been a confounding week for animal shelter employees, volunteers, and rescue advocates in Los Angeles, who have loudly fought against sweeping budget cuts to the city’s Animal Services department and eked out a win.
Getting there, however, has involved sorting through an administrative mess.
Last Monday, Mayor Karen Bass’s office released its proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which included about $4.8 million in cuts and major staff reductions to the LA Animal Services department, which runs six shelters across the city. Chief among the proposed cuts were layoffs affecting 62 employees, including animal care technicians, who are responsible for day-to-day operations at the city’s shelters like feeding the animals and cleaning kennels; Animal Control officers, who capture strays and respond to reports of attacks and animal cruelty; administrative clerks, who field phone calls and process adoptions and licensing; and veterinary technicians, who handle euthanasias, microchipping, and sterilization procedures, among other responsibilities.
Shortly after the budget proposal was released, a top LAAS official sounded the alarm, warning city council leaders in an April 22 letter that the anticipated job cuts would be dire enough to force the closure of half of LA’s shelters and result in mass euthanasias due to space constraints.