Los Angeles City Council Approves $14 Million Landmark Initiative — Led in Part by the ASPCA — to Support LA Animal Services

We’re thrilled to share exciting news: in collaboration with LA Animal Services (LAAS), the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society announced that the Los Angeles City Council today approved a transformative, multi-year $14 million funding and operational support initiative to strengthen and enhance services across the City’s six animal shelters.

With Council approval secured, this first-of-its-kind collaboration — representing the largest combined investment by the ASPCA and Best Friends in a single municipal shelter system — will now move forward. Together, the two national organizations will provide immediate resources while building long-term, sustainable improvements for animals and the Los Angeles community.

“This is a transformational moment for LA Animal Services and for the animals and families who depend on us,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “This historic investment will strengthen our shelters, expand support for pet owners, and create more lifesaving opportunities for animals across Los Angeles. I’m deeply grateful to the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society for their visionary partnership and extraordinary investment.”

“With this approval, Los Angeles is making a powerful statement about the importance of animals and the people who care for them,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO. "Together, with these much-needed additional resources, we will strengthen services across LA Animal Services, better positioning the city's shelter system to support the Los Angeles community, keeping pets and people together and helping more animals find loving homes and brighter futures."

The initiative focuses on three core priorities:

• Improving in-shelter care and operational efficiency to ensure animals receive timely, coordinated services;
• Increasing positive outcomes such as adoptions, fostering and reunifications with owners; and
• Expanded community engagement and support to keep Los Angelenos and their pets together.

The ASPCA and Best Friends will support LAAS over an initial three-year period, with LAAS committing to best efforts to sustain key positions and programmatic advancements for an additional three years to ensure lasting impact well beyond the initial investment.

Through the approved initiative, LAAS will receive $7 million from both the ASPCA and Best Friends to support more than 20 essential staffing positions, including expanded adoption and foster teams and specialized roles for community cat programs. In addition, four experienced consultants from the organizations will be embedded within LAAS facilities to provide hands-on support in training, program development and implementation, and animal health and safety.

The initiative will also expand foster care capacity, strengthen return-to-owner efforts, including field-based reunifications, and introduce enhanced customer service protocols and supportive resources designed to keep pets and their families together at the point of admission. In collaboration with LAAS leadership, comprehensive training will be provided to LAAS staff across key areas such as animal care, shelter medicine, adoption services, data management, volunteer engagement and community outreach.

As one of the largest municipal shelter systems in the country, LAAS serves approximately 50,000 animals annually and responds to more than 20,000 emergency calls involving animals and people in danger. In recent years, LAAS has made significant progress reducing overcrowding and increasing placements through community partnerships, adoption initiatives and expanded access to the resources pet owners need to care for their animals.

"From the outset, the animals and people of LA Animal Services have been at the heart of this collaborative vision,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “This initiative will create transformative outcomes for pets in the shelter system, while honoring the commitment of the employees and volunteers who serve them.”

"In the field of animal welfare, partnership is vital, and we are grateful for the continued support from the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society," said Gabrielle Amster, General Manager for LA Animal Services. "Such significant support will bolster our efforts to continue striving for a high standard of care for the animals in our shelters, while providing our staff with the training needed to elevate pathway planning, and dedicate more resources to adoption and foster programming. This will allow us to better engage our community and serve the pets and people of Los Angeles.”

This initiative builds on decades of commitment from both the ASPCA and Best Friends to improving animal welfare across Los Angeles. By combining funding, expertise and on-the-ground support, the partnership is designed to deliver immediate, measurable improvements while laying the foundation for a more effective, humane and sustainable shelter system for years to come.

Thanks to the support of ASPCA members, this collaborative effort will transform outcomes for pets across the city and help more animals find loving homes.