The Long Beach City Council was marred by a group of impassioned residents who pleaded to the board to make changes to the Long Beach animal adoption policy during Tuesday’s meeting.
Advocates for the Long Beach Animal Care Services lined up one-by-one to vent their frustrations with the council, holding signs that read, “No Kill.”
Alex Armstrong, 40-year resident and an animal advocate for LBACS, pressed the officials on the lack of animal adoptions in Long Beach.
“Long Beach did 632 adoptions last year,” Armstrong said. “We are in the hundreds when other cities are in the thousands, how are we so behind?”
Armstrong said LBACS brought in 5,000 animals, killed 1,000 and adopted only 632 animals. Armstrong added that he believes adoptions are low due to the business relationship with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles.
“spcaLA doesn’t want us to do the adoptions, because they want to do the adoptions,” Armstrong said. “I don’t understand why no one will stand up to Madeline Bernstein.”
Madeline Bernstein is the President of spcaLA.
Armstrong and others have been speaking out on this issue to the City Council since September of last year.
Mayor Robert Garcia was not in attendance.
Advocates said they will continue to attend each city council meeting until a solution has been presented.
The next city council meeting will be 5 p.m. Feb. 19 at Long Beach City Hall.