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Animal abuse concerns enter LA mayor's race
FOX 11 was at Skid Row as Los Angeles city leaders vow to address animal abuse concerns in the area.
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles’ mayoral race is heating up, and animal welfare is emerging as a major issue on the campaign trail.
Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman are both meeting with animal advocates and promoting plans to address animal cruelty and neglect ahead of the November election.
FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff spent Wednesday evening on Skid Row with an animal rescue group that says more needs to be done.
Animal advocates raise concerns about Skid Row conditions
Local perspective:
Skid Row is at the center of Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis. Now, advocates say it is also becoming a focal point in the fight against animal abuse.
Bass and Raman have recently posted campaign videos highlighting their work with animal advocates and promising action.
But some activists question whether the candidates are doing enough.
"They’ve already been in office for so long and they have never cared. I don’t feel like it’s very authentic," said Victoriah Parker, co-founder of Starts With One Today.
The animal rescue nonprofit took FOX 11 on a walk through Skid Row, where dogs and puppies could be seen living alongside their owners.
Joey Tuccio, a volunteer with the group, described conditions in some areas as dangerous.
"People in there are wild. Last time we were here, they were all on drugs," Tuccio said.
Parker said she has witnessed violence against animals on Skid Row.
"I’ve seen a dog getting shot. I’ve seen dogs getting stabbed," she said.
FOX 11 also met Ronald, a Skid Row resident who invited the crew inside the SRO where he has lived for roughly four years with his cats.
"It’s everywhere. And they don’t see it. And they don’t see no problem with it, but yet they have nothing to eat and the animal has nothing to eat," Ronald said. "I need to feed them right now and they know it and I love them."
Tuccio said the group regularly receives calls about abandoned and neglected animals.
"We get calls almost every other day from people with their dogs abandoned in the SROs," he said. "We just got a call today that a dog was having a seizure because the person wasn’t taking care of their dog."
Bass, Raman promise action
Bass said the city’s Skid Row animal-cruelty pilot program, launched last year, is now permanent.
The program brings together Los Angeles police and animal services to investigate allegations of animal cruelty and neglect.
Raman has also made animal welfare a key part of her mayoral campaign, promising to crack down on animal cruelty and neglect.
The FBI also now is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to a federal prosecution for animal abuse.
Still, Tuccio said the city’s response has come too late.
"Both of them have ignored Skid Row. Not only with the animals, but the people too," he said. "This is literally the forgotten land of Los Angeles."
The issue is likely to remain a major point of debate as Bass and Raman face off in the November mayoral election.