The City Council Tuesday approved an ordinance to give the head of the animal services department the authority to waive adoption and redemption fees, a move aimed at boosting adoption rates and reducing overcrowding in shelters.
In a 13-0 vote, the council OK’d a proposal to give Interim General Manager Annette Ramirez and future GMs the flexibility to waive fees. The ordinance requires approval from Mayor Karen Bass before it can be implemented. Council members Nithya Raman and Monica Rodriguez were absent during the vote.
Council members Bob Blumenfield and Eunisses Hernandez introduced a motion on Oct. 25, 2024, citing concerns that the city’s six shelters continue to operate well over their maximum capacity.
The general manager can reduce adoption fees by up to 50% during council-approved events or time periods but cannot fully waive fees.
“Allowing the General Manager the flexibility to waive fees could greatly alleviate the bottleneck of animals leaving our shelters and thereby decompressing our population,” the motion reads.
According to the department, most animals entering city shelters are strays, often lost pets whose owners are looking for them.
If a lost pet finds itself in the city’s shelter, a pet owner is able to reunite with the animal but only after paying a redemption fee. Such a fee, in some cases, can pose a barrier and result in an animal languishing in a shelter. In a similar fashion, an adoption fee — a one-time cost — can also serve to disincentive potential adopters.
Additionally, sheltering costs often far exceed any fees recovered.
“It costs approximately $45 per day for LAAS to care for one dog, and the cost to adopt a dog goes up to $122. This means that if a dog had as little as a 3-day stay in the shelter, the adoption fee would not even cover the cost of its basic care,” the motion reads.