Fully Fund Los Angeles Animal Services and Approve the Historic Best Friends/ASPCA Partnership
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles Animal Services Department is seeking $31.8 million for its 2026-27 operational budget, up from $30.3 million last year. Mayor Karen Bass allotted roughly $29 million for the department in her budget proposal released recently.
Angelinos love their animals. We must prioritize them.
The budget does not include any funding for dog and cat food, reduces medical supply allocations, eliminates three positions, reduces funding for Community Cat Program spay/neuter vouchers, and defunds Dogs Playing For Life: a critical program that enriches dogs' lives and makes sheltering environments safe for people and dogs. This is a proven method to increase dog adoptions. These potential cuts are harmful to the animals and reduce public safety.
The Citywide Cat Program is an established city policy designed to increase spay and neuter access for cats and kittens, which over time will reduce the number of community cats entering our shelters. However, the program's vouchers are not being funded at the full $120 amount approved by the CAO's office. Full funding for this program is essential and must be a priority.
The City also has an opportunity to approve a historical partnership between Best Friends Animal Society and the ASPCA to help improve shelter operations; create badly needed positions in the six-shelters to improve fostering, adoptions, and community cat programming; and support improvements in shelter medicine.
The budget is not yet final and the historical partnership has not yet been approved.
What can you do?
Sign our petition below, which we will send to the LA City Council members. Let’s show them how many of us care!
Enter a public comment in the council file system before the budget vote on May 15, 2026. Click here to begin that process and note: these comments are public and you will need to reference file number 26-0600.
Call or email your LA City Council representative. Not sure who to contact? Find who they are here.
Sponsored by
To:
Los Angeles City Council
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Los Angeles City Council Members,
We, the undersigned, write to urge you to fully fund the Los Angeles Animal Services Department and approve critical programs that protect the welfare of animals and the safety of our communities.
The Los Angeles Animal Services Department has requested $31.8 million for its 2026-27 operational budget. We are deeply concerned that the Mayor's current budget proposal falls significantly short of this amount, and worse, includes potential cuts that will have negative consequences for the animals in our city's care and the communities that depend on these services.
Specifically, the proposed budget:
- Includes NO funding for dog and cat food
- Reduces medical supply allocations
- Eliminates three positions
- Reduces funding for spay/neuter vouchers
- Defunds Dogs Playing For Life: a proven program that enriches the lives of shelter dogs and creates safer environments for both animals and shelter staff
Eliminating positions and gutting enrichment programs will lead to worse outcomes for animals, increased euthanasia, and reduced public safety.
At the same time, the City has a historic opportunity before it: a landmark partnership between Best Friends Animal Society and the ASPCA that would improve shelter operations across all six Los Angeles shelters. This partnership would create badly needed positions to improve fostering, adoptions, and community cat programming, and would support meaningful improvements in shelter medicine. We urge you to approve this partnership without delay.
We ask you to:
- Reinstate funding for dog and cat food and medical supplies, and add back in the eliminated positions
- Increase spay/neuter voucher funding
- Restore funding for the Dogs Playing For Life program
- Approve the historic Best Friends Animal Society and ASPCA partnership
The animals in our shelters cannot speak for themselves. We are their voices. Please do not let them down.
Sincerely,