Official Seeks to Add 2 Animal Shelters to City Bond Measure

Citing a dire need for more animal control services in the San Fernando Valley and South-Central Los Angeles, the city’s top administrator recommended Monday adding two new shelters to a proposed Nov. 7 bond measure.

Building the shelters would double the number of shelters serving those areas and would increase the bond proposal from $110 million to about $150 million.

“The Valley has a growing problem and we need to address it,” said Bill Fujioka, director of the Office of Administrative and Research Services.

Fujioka previously proposed renovation and expansion of existing shelters in the West Valley and in North Central and South-Central Los Angeles, and replacement of the East Valley, West Los Angeles and Harbor shelters.

“Up to 27,000 additional dogs could be removed from the streets, and kennel overcrowding would be eliminated,” according to a report by a committee of city managers that includes Fujioka.

Los Angeles City Council members must weigh whether the city can afford all the work. If the animal shelter bonds are added to a $378-million bond measure proposed by Fujioka to build 19 fire stations, Los Angeles voters would be asked in November to approve more than half a billion dollars in bonds and tax increases.

Last year, the city failed to win the two-thirds vote needed for passage of a $744-million police and fire bond measure.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who heads the Public Safety Committee and sits on the Budget and Finance Committee, supports the plan but wants to make sure the city asks for funding for only what it can realistically deliver, said Lisa Gritzner, a Miscikowski aide.

Councilman Mike Feuer supports the fire bond measure, but has asked Fujioka to explain why the cost of fire stations has increased substantially since voters narrowly rejected a similar bond measure last year, a spokesman said.

Councilwoman Laura Chick said she supports asking voters to consider bonds for fire stations and animal shelters, noting that the city has in the past provided more priority in funding new police stations.

Fujioka recommended that the city delay any new police bond issue until April, saying the city needs more time to analyze police needs.

Gritzner said there also is a growing consensus among top city officials that they should wait to submit police bonds to voters until they can also submit reforms expected to be recommended by an independent panel investigating the Rampart police corruption scandal.