(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story first appeared on the Westside Current on December 3 and is printed with permission. It has been updated with LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s December 4 announcement of an audit of the Department.)
Stacyee Dains, who was hired to head L.A. Animal Services in June 2023, took a paid leave of absence in August, and now has resigned.
BY JAMIE PAIGE
Staycee Dains has resigned as general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services after being on paid leave since August, Mayor Karen Bass’ office confirmed Monday.
A spokesperson for Bass told City News Service Dains resigned effective Saturday. City officials had not explained the reason for her absence.
Annette Ramirez, who led Los Angeles Animal Services on an interim basis for a year and half prior to Dains’ appointment in 2023, again began leading the department in September.
Dains, who formerly led Long Beach’s animal services department, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dains addressed issues related to volunteers during her tenure but still faced overcrowding and other challenges at the department’s six shelters, some have plagued the department long before her arrival.
A recent Los Angeles Times analysis found about 1,224 dogs were euthanized, an increase of 72%, from January to September compared to the same period last year. Some 1,517 cats were euthanized, also a 17% increase from 2023.
The mayor’s office noted that about 25,000 animals were adopted or rescued from the city’s six animal shelters, representing a 17% increase compared to 2023.
According to LAAS’ website, the population of dogs at the shelters is 1,175, or 159% over capacity. The shelters are designed to hold at most 737 dogs.
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia Announces Audit of LA Animal Services Department
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia announced on December 4 that the Controller’s Office will be starting a performance audit of LA Animal Services (LAAS) to determine whether the City is providing sheltered animals with humane care, whether the City’s animal intake and adoption programs maximize the department’s ability to save animals, and whether the department has the capacity to manage the current demand for shelter services.
In the release from the City Controller, it stated “The audit will focus on identifying practical and impactful strategies that LAAS can quickly implement to improve conditions in City shelters at current funding levels. The audit will also consider system improvements that require additional funding and opportunities to increase LAAS revenue.”
Mejia said, “LA Animal Services has long been in an uphill battle trying to provide adequate care for the City’s animals while the City falls short on providing adequate resources to the department. LAAS operates six shelters and took in approximately 39,000 dogs and cats in 2023. Its mission is to provide care for LA’s animals, and it strives for a 90% save-rate, which are nearly impossible tasks given that the City recently reduced the department’s operating budget by $1.4 million to $30.3 million this fiscal year – a fraction of the $5.9 billion total operating budget for all City departments.
“We hope the City can use our audit’s findings to improve the lives of our