Dear Governor & California Legislators,

On behalf of rescue organizations, community advocates, and countless concerned Californians, we write to sound the alarm: California is facing an unprecedented animal overpopulation crisis — and our state leadership is failing to respond.

Since 2021, shelter intake numbers have surged dramatically, especially for large-breed dogs, while adoptions and critical services have declined. Shelter Animals Count estimates that the U.S. shelter population grew by nearly a quarter-million animals in 2023. California now tragically leads the nation in both euthanasia rates and homeless animal numbers — a distinction made even worse by the lack of comprehensive statewide shelter data collection, aggregation or oversight.

A recently conducted an independent survey asking Californians about their access to affordable spay/neuter and basic care uncovered devastating information. Across every California region, residents shared painful stories of being turned away, left helpless, and forced to watch suffering grow. We are taxpayers in the wealthiest state in the country — yet we are left on our own, while our shelters close their doors, and the state fails to act.

Taxpayer-funded shelters increasingly operate on “managed intake” models that limit public access and push thousands of not fixed, unvaccinated animals into the streets. Preventable disease outbreaks — parvo, distemper, panleukopenia — are routine, with shelter populations euthanized “due to exposure.” The public, meanwhile, is locked out of shelters, and left to beg rescues for help. Rescues work around the clock, spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to medically treat, spay-neuter, and often transport animals across the country, just to keep them alive.

Some municipal shelters now euthanize up to 50% of the animals they take in. Other shelters use “no-kill” metrics to justify turning animals away by ‘managed intakes policy” or quietly disposing of them, creating the illusion of success while the crisis worsens. Many have ended free vaccine and microchip clinics, leaving animals untraceable and unprotected. The core principles of prevention — affordable sterilization, basic public services, and responsible breeding oversight — have been entirely abandoned. At the same time, spay/neuter access has collapsed. 

Over 90% of animals entering California shelters today are not spayed/neutered or microchipped — a damning indicator of the complete breakdown of any systemic, statewide population control efforts.

Backyard breeding and pet sales run unchecked on social media platforms — a virtual “wild west” of cruelty and profit. Meanwhile, purebred puppies and highly adoptable dogs flood our shelters and streets waiting for homes that never come.

Efforts to pass meaningful legislation have repeatedly failed under the weight of lobbying pressure. Strong bills are killed. Others are so watered down, they offer no real benefit. California promotes itself as a national leader in humane policy — yet what’s happening here is almost barbaric. It must be reversed.

We are beyond capacity. It is time for bold, unapologetic action.

We call on you to:

• Declare a statewide animal overpopulation emergency
• Place a moratorium on pet breeding until shelter capacity is stabilized
• Invest in high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinics and mobile units
• Provide free or low-cost vaccine and microchip services statewide
• Mandate shelter outcome and intake reporting, including refusal data, data aggregation throughout the state
• Crack down on illegal and online pet sales
• Fast-track the certification of foreign-trained veterinarians waiting to serve (consider conditional licensing, like other states)
• Incentivize veterinary professionals to join public shelter workforces
   

This is not a matter of resources — California has the largest budget in the country. It is a matter of will. And unless the Legislature acts, the suffering will continue — and worsen.

Please do not let California continue to lead the nation in animal abandonment and euthanasia. Listen to your constituents. Read the stories. See the desperation. We urge you to act now, with compassion and urgency, to bring this crisis under control and restore California’s role as a leader in humane treatment and responsible governance.