The director of the embattled Los Angeles Department of Animal Services is taking a two-month leave of absence and the chairman of the department’s board of directors is absent after a tumultuous board meeting last month.
At the same time, a new internal report into conditions at two shelters found “failures of appropriate care” that are “deplorable and inexcusable by any reasonable standard.”
The developments are the latest tragedy for Animal Services, which is underfunded and understaffed for the growing number of animals passing through its six shelters.
Dog euthanasia has increased sharply this year, according to ministry records. A total of 140 dogs were euthanized in June, an 82 percent increase over the same period last year.
City Manager Staycee Dains did not respond to a message left for her Thursday. She previously worked for the city of Long Beach.
A spokesman for City Comptroller Kenneth Mejia told the Times that Dains’ leave began Aug. 13 and that the office had no further information about his absence. Another internal city document viewed by the Times indicated that Dains’ leave would last through mid-October.
Deputy City Manager Annette Ramirez will serve as interim city manager of the department during Dains’ absence, according to a memo she sent to staff Friday. Ramirez previously served as interim city manager before Dains was hired by Mayor Karen Bass last year.
Upon taking office in 2022, Bass pledged to turn around the Department of Animal Services, which has long struggled with staffing shortages and overcrowded conditions. The department operates public shelters and relies heavily on volunteers to care for dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals.
Bass appointed James Johnson to the Animal Services Commission in spring 2023. He told the Times Friday that he left the commission on July 31 and declined to provide further details about his departure.
“Ultimately, when you’re a commissioner, you serve at the pleasure of the mayor,” Johnson said. “I’m not a commissioner anymore.”
Johnson, a former union worker, chaired his first meeting as commission chairman last month, but the proceedings quickly turned into a spectacle.
First, Johnson sharply rebuked a public speaker who criticized Dains, and the meeting was temporarily adjourned. Then Johnson tried unsuccessfully to convince his fellow commissioners to adopt a $25,000 contract for “security and engagement” services supported by Dains, and offered to raise the money himself after commissioners expressed concern about the expense.
Meanwhile, a new assessment casts a gloomy light on how shelters operate.
Best Friends Animal Society’s National Shelter Support Team conducted an assessment of the Chesterfield Square/South LA and East Valley shelters in July and August at the request of senior department staff.
The Times reviewed the assessment, which found “a failure to integrate no-kill policies and, in some cases, a failure to meet minimum standards of humane care.”
The report highlighted staffing problems and a lack of leadership. Representatives for Bass and Animal Services declined to comment on the report.
“During our stay, we noted that a large number of residents were coming to adopt, volunteer and/or foster children,” the assessment said. “Unfortunately, staff distrust of residents was evident and this distrust led many to leave when their offers of support were not accepted.”
The report said most dogs were taken out of their crates only once every 10 to 14 days. The crates were cleaned with hoses, but the dogs were not removed during the cleaning process, the assessment said.
The report found that “the lack of human interaction, the daily torment of being sprayed with a garden hose and the 24-hour lockdown are causing what is believed to be the [dogs’] “Normal behavior that deteriorates rapidly.”
Asked about conditions in shelters, Johnson told the Times that animal services faced “significant challenges” and were “underfunded.”
“As a city, we need to support the department and our shelters and do what we can to get these animals adopted,” he said.
