In Los Angeles, budget cuts = more euthanasia

Los Angeles' citywide budget crisis is expected to have severe impacts on the animals that are processed through the municipality's six shelters if the proposed cuts to the Department of Animal Services eventually are approved this year. (The city's shelter closest to the South Bay is in San Pedro.)

A pooch awaits what fate has in store at the City of Los Angeles East Valley Animal Shelter located at 14409 Vanowen St., Van Nuys, Calif. | See photo gallery. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer)

At a Budget and Finance Committee meeting Wednesday, council members expressed frustration with a series of proposed cuts that could mean closing the Northeast Animal Shelter in Mission Hills (and possibly one other shelter), with the department's acting general manager saying it could amount to 11,000 more animals euthanized a year.

If you want to watch the discussion, you can access the video -- the Animal Services Department begins at about 7:32, toward the end of the 8-hour-plus meeting.

Council members joined with animal welfare advocates in balking at many of the proposed cuts that will reduce manpower through furloughs as well as the already overcrowded physical holding space for animals.

"I'm not convinced this is the thing to do," said Councilman Jose Huizar. "There are going to be losses that we're going to pay for later."

One speaker said it will result in a "PR nightmare" for the city of Los Angeles.

"How can you be talking public safety as a priority and gutting animal services?" Councilman Richard Alarcon said. "This will have a severe effect and it's obvious we're moving in the wrong direction to the no-kill policy."

A more positive push will be to increase revenue through dog license fees, private sponsorships and recruiting more volunteers.

If you live in the city and have an unlicensed dog, you can expect a letter from the city asking you to make that right. The department is working with the DWP to access records in order to pinpoint households where pets live but where there are no corresponding license records.

Letters will go out to those households soon, said interim General Manager Kathy Davis.

In the last fiscal year, the city euthanized 11,938 cats, 7,623 dogs, 292 rabbits and 3,802 other animals.

Budget talks are ongoing in the city, with all departments in line to take major hits for 2010-11.