PRESS RELEASE

The public is invited to participate in a Community Workshop to start the process of developing a Strategic Plan for Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS). The Workshop will be held on Sunday, March 3, 2019, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the El Dorado Park West Community Center, 2800 Studebaker Road.

“A Strategic Plan for Long Beach Animal Care Services will be an important blueprint to continue our work of saving more animal lives and implementing important reforms. Thanks to the work of rescue and animal advocacy organizations, and our volunteers and staff, we have seen outcomes improve for our shelter animals, and that needs to continue,” said Mayor Robert Garcia.

The purpose of the workshop is to engage the Long Beach community in LBACS’s long-term vision and strategic direction, which will inform the strategic planning process. Comments about issues facing cats, dogs and other animals, the mission of LBACS, LBACS’s impact in the community, and planning for future LBACS operations and organization will be solicited.

The Workshop agenda will include: an overview of the strategic planning process; an introduction of the Mayor’s Animal Care Visioning Task Force that is providing input on Animal Care Services operations and goals; and an introduction of leading shelter consulting firm JVR Shelter Strategies, LLD, including Principal Consultant Dr. Jyothi V. Robertson, DVM, who will help guide the creation of the Long Beach Animal Care Services Strategic Plan.

For more information about the Long Beach Animal Care Services Strategic Plan Community Workshop, the community can call Staycee Dains, Manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services at 562.570.3051.

ACS continues its 10-year trend of increasingly positive results for shelter animals as well as ongoing medical and infrastructure improvements:

• From 2017 to 2018, ACS decreased the number of animal impounds by 13.2%.
• Total euthanasia was reduced by 6.7% in 2018 from the year before.
• Adoption numbers were strong from 2017 to 2018. In addition to the over 2,200 animals taken by the spcaLA and local rescue groups, an additional 686 were adopted directly from the ACS operated shelter.
• Measure A funding of close to $450,000 into the ACS facility, have already helped to provide new cottages for the cat population and will enable future investments into the facility.
• The addition of a full-time veterinarian position has been approved to improve medical services for shelter animals. Additionally, the addition of another full-time Adoption/Volunteer Coordinator will help to increase the animal adoption and volunteer programs as a further investment to improve the live release rate for 2019. 

About the City of Long Beach

Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 171 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine

Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department (PRM) is recognized for excellence in management practices and programs, having received the National Parks and Recreation Association Gold Medal Award four times. PRM provides leisure programs and services to residents and visitors, which improve quality of life in Long Beach. PRM maintains 171 parks with 26 community centers, 320 acres of open space, and 6.1 miles of beaches; implements the City's Open Space Plan, provides recreational opportunities to meet diverse community needs, maintains public marinas, and provides for public safety and the humane treatment of animals.