What is this blog --Walk The Talk For LA Animals?

If you are a pet owner or have helped any of the animal charities in Los Angeles, then you must have gulped back in March when this was the headline in the LA Times. 

L.A. city budget shortfall grows to nearly $1 billion, with layoffs ‘nearly inevitable’

My first thought, was "Oh, no what will they do to the LA Shelter's budget"   

Gulp.  

 

Then I went back to my life.   I figured someone in my animal circles would get the word out if things got dire.  

Cut to, last week (April 23, 2025)  I got word via Sam Simon’s Mobile Veterinary Mobile Clinic FB post that the proposed budget cuts to animal services was not just dire but dire-on-steroids.  If the cuts went through as proposed, it would reduce the number of shelters from six to three.   This would mean at least 30% more euthanasia of our cats, dogs, kittens and puppies.   This was unconscionable and cruel to both the animals and the humans who care about them. 

There was an immediate response by the animal community asking people to show up at City Hall for public comment in both the Valley office and Downtown LA.  

I spend a lot of time in grassroots activism focused on the Public Good including social, environmental and educational matters, I knew from experience that we would have to do a serious push on our city councilmembers and on those on Financial Committee.  I am active in  political circles and I know sure as  shit, that electeds only respond when they get push back.   So, I made a video encouraging people to call their councilmember and find friends who live in the five districts of the committee members.  I also went downtown on Monday, joined the others, waited three hours and made comment.  

The good news  is that all the efforts by animal advocates had an impact because the next day, the City Council Finance Committee moved  $5 million back to Animal Services budget.     Yay, one battle is a win.  

However, between now and the time the budget is approved there will be many opportunities where City Councilmembers can reduce that $5 million.   This is a major problem.   The fact is if we lose any money in the budget it will hurt our animals because even if the budget remains the same as last year, we are under funded because of inflation.   The cost of supplies have all gone up.  Medicine, food, cleaning  supplies, it is all up.     So $10k or $20 k  removed could be the difference of another carton of medicine purchased or not purchased each month.   

 

This means we must keep the pressure on our city councilmembers.   If we turn off the pressure then they can cut here and there from Animal Services between now and the end of May.    

 With that in mind I launched this blog so it will be easy for people to find their councilmember and to follow easy to do actions to keep the pressure on city council.     

Walk The Talk For LA Animals is NOT a not-for-profit, I have zero intention of launching a not-for- profit, we have plenty of rescue groups in LA who need our support.   This blog is instead focused on informing and growing our grassroots movement to protect animals in this crisis and hopefully stay engaged after this moment has passed.  

Shout out to LA rescue groups, please read the steps in this blog.  If you have any other intel that you want to share with me you can email me tracygrassroots@gmail.com

Share this information with your communities so we can keep the pressure on and save our animals because at the end of the day, we all Walk The Talk for LA Animals 

In solidarity,   

Tracy