L.A. County animal shelters to get more workers
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The same week that L.A. city shelter workers were pleading with the L.A. City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee not to fire 28 workers for budgetary reasons, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control announced it is getting 27 more animal care staffers for the fiscal year that just started. That means a little more attention for animals such as the five-month-old female above who is currently available for adoption at the Downey shelter. (Her I.D. number is A3865585.)
‘The county has been pretty responsive,’ said Marcia Mayeda, the department’s director. ‘I think we demonstrated the need to have the new positions.’
The county’s six shelters cover a vast territory and last year impounded more than 90,000 animals. As of Wednesday, they had 3,210 animals in their shelters. With the new positions, they will have a total staff of 369.
L.A. City Department of Animal Services, which runs the city’s seven shelters -- one of which is not open to the public -- has been funded this fiscal year for 382 positions. That does not include the 28 animal care technicians still on staff in shelters who are scheduled to be let go in the fall if the city does not find more money to fund them. L.A. Animal Services estimates that it has roughly 2,400 animals in its shelters now.
Mayeda and her shelter system have been under enormous fire from animal rescuers, volunteers and some shelter workers over the last year for having crowded, dirty conditions and for mistreatment of animals. Called by the county Board of Supervisors in February to answer complaints, Mayeda said changes were being made. She also told supervisors that the shelters were chronically short-staffed.
The Downey shelter will get three more animal care attendants and one more registered veterinary technician. The Carson shelter will get two more animal care attendants and two more registered veterinary technicians. The Lancaster shelter will get three attendants and one vet tech. The Baldwin Park shelter will get four attendants and two vet techs. Castaic will get one attendant. Each of those five shelters will also get one or two more clerks. The Agoura shelter, which is not overwhelmed with impoundments -- and has more than 100 active volunteers -- will get no new additional positions.
And because we can’t resist, here’s one more cute pooch up for adoption at the Downey shelter. He is a 3-year-old male shepherd mix (ID number A3864428). We offer these photos, which the county shelter system provided to us, only as a sampling of the animals available for adoption. You can see pictures of animals at all the county shelters online.
-- Carla Hall
