Faced with Inaction by Mayor Bass, PETA Turns to Governor Newsom to Crack Down on Rampant Animal Neglect, Abuse on Los Angeles’s Skid Row

For Immediate Release:
February 26, 2026

Contact:
Andrew Grant 202-483-7382

With reports surging of cats and dogs being abused, neglected, illegally bred, sold, and even overdosing on drugs and killed on Skid Row, PETA has gone over Mayor Karen Bass’ head and today sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter—along with a disturbing video depicting scenes of the animal crisis on Skid Row —urging him to intervene. PETA points out in its letter that Mayor Bass’ administration “appears to be either unable or unwilling” to help animals on Skid Row, as repeated appeals for assistance have been ignored. Photos are here.

“Skid Row has become a breeding ground for cruelty, where abused and neglected dogs are made to churn out endless litters under horrific circumstances, the city’s spay/neuter requirements and breeding moratorium are simply ignored,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA is urgently requesting Governor Newsom to step in and do what Mayor Bass has failed to do: protect the city’s companion animals.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Newsom follows.

Dear Governor Newsom,

I am reaching out on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to ask that you take immediate action to address the ongoing companion animal crisis in the Skid Row district of Los Angeles. Animals are being abused, neglected, bred, sold, and even killed—all in violation of local and state laws—and despite years of appeals to enforce those laws and protect animals, Mayor Karen Bass’s administration appears either unable or unwilling to do so.

We realize that addressing the needs of the humans living on Skid Row is difficult and complex, but enforcing existing laws to protect animals is not. It is illegal to breed dogs in Los Angeles as long as shelters are at 75% capacity (which they are well over). People on Skid Row are breeding dogs. Therefore, action needs to be taken. The moratorium on issuing breeding permits was put in place to help curb the overpopulation crisis and it applies to all Angelinos. The animal welfare laws that exist in the city were written to protect the city’s animals from neglect and cruelty – no matter the perpetrator.

Social workers and advocates who visit Skid Row daily to provide supplies and services (to people and animals) report that their calls to the Mayor’s office,  L.A. Animal Services and the LAPD—to report dogs being beaten, starved, neglected, abandoned, or even overdosing on drugs—typically go unanswered.

In November of 2025, Mayor Bass pledged to address these issues with a task force that would step up investigation and enforcement on Skid Row. However, advocates report that after a single highly-publicized “puppy mill” bust on Skid Row in early December, they never saw evidence of the task force again, and officers were recorded stating that the program was disbanded after a couple of trainings. Meanwhile, on a daily basis, videos surface of dogs on Skid Row suffering in various states of severe medical neglect, and residents refusing to allow their dogs to be sterilized.

The City of Los Angeles has failed to address this emergency, now the state of California has a responsibility to step in. The world is watching.

Sincerely,

Lisa Lange

Senior Vice President

PETA