Long Beach’s proposed 2019 city budget has a treat for shelter pets rolled up among its recommendations: an adoption-coordinator position and an animal-adoption pilot program.

“Even as general euthanasia has gone down and adoptions have gone up, we’ve been adding new positions at Animal Care Services (ACS)—the marketing area and others,” said Mayor Robert Garcia at a July 31 press conference. “This is an additional position that will be specific to animal adoptions. And of course, that will be inclusive of fostering and other details.”

https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachAnimalCare/videos/1984609691559670/?t=0

Pets like Cinco are benefitting from ACS’s recently hired community information specialist’s videos. Video courtesy of ACS. 

Long Beach Animal Care Services manager Ted Stevens said that his department will be fleshing out the details of what the program is going to look like should it be approved in the budget.

“We’ll be looking at whatever it takes to promote a positive outcome for animals,” Stevens said. “Rescues, volunteers, hiring an additional coordinator—all these things work together for adoptions. We’re already working on a foster program, and this budget item will help.

City manager Pat West stated that $500,000 is not yet allocated in budget, so Long Beach residents are encouraged to attend community budget meetings in each district, which have been tentatively scheduled for August, and voice their priorities. Budget oversight committees are also planned for August and September, and the public is invited to attend those as well. The entire proposed budget can be seen here,  and graphic representations are available on the city’s data aggregate, OpenLB.