ANIMAL VOTE - In my experience, no member of the Los Angeles City Council has been a stronger advocate for animal welfare than Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. His departure due to term limits could be a significant loss for the dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals who depend on the City for their protection.
Fortunately, Blumenfield has endorsed Tim Gaspar, who is running to succeed him in Council District 3.
On Sunday, October 18, I hosted a Meet & Greet for Gaspar at my home in Tarzana, attended by animal welfare advocates and other community members. What Gaspar said about our animal shelters, spay/neuter, and even the treatment of animals halfway around the world reinforced my decision to support him.
I am writing in my individual capacity. The opinions expressed in this article, including my endorsement of Gaspar, are entirely my own and do not represent any organization with which I am affiliated.
WHY TIM GASPAR?
In introducing Gaspar, I explained that I began supporting him because of his positions on public safety, homelessness, animal welfare, and other issues, as well as his many years of charitable work in our community.
But I had also learned something remarkable about him: Tim donated a kidney to a friend. As I told those attending, that is the kind of person I want representing me, my family, my friends and neighbors, and the dogs and cats of Los Angeles at City Hall.
Gaspar, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, described a childhood surrounded not only by dogs and cats but also by pot-bellied pigs, chickens, geese, goats, and other animals. Caring for them, he explained, taught him responsibility and compassion.
He pointed out that animals "can't stand up for themselves" and need people willing to protect them. Gaspar also acknowledged that he was not an expert on every animal services issue. He wanted to listen to and learn from people with firsthand experience. That was encouraging, particularly given the serious problems facing Los Angeles Animal Services.
SPAY/NEUTER: PREVENTING OVERCROWDING AND EUTHANASIA
Our City shelters continue to struggle with overcrowding, inadequate resources, and the euthanasia of animals, including healthy, adoptable dogs.
I have volunteered at the West Valley Animal Shelter for approximately 13 years. I have seen firsthand the consequences of too many animals entering the shelters and too few finding homes. (I make these observations solely in my individual capacity, not on behalf of Los Angeles Animal Services.)
Adoptions, rescues, fostering, and transports are essential; they save lives. But we cannot sustainably reduce shelter overcrowding and euthanasia without substantially decreasing the number of dogs and cats entering our shelters in the first place. That requires increased funding for spay/neuter programs and enforcement of the City's existing spay/neuter laws.
When asked how he would address shelter overcrowding, Gaspar recognized that prevention makes sense both financially and humanely. He described focusing on spay/neuter as "the single most effective thing we can do" and said it would be the first place he would focus resources. He explained that, from both a humane and financial standpoint, an effective citywide spay/neuter program costs considerably less than caring for animals after they enter the shelters and, tragically, euthanizing some because of overcrowding.
That is precisely the approach I have advocated for years, including in my earlier CityWatch articles, including Failure To Provide Adequate Funding For Spay/Neuter Is "Penny Wise And 'Pound' Foolish", which explains why underfunding spay/neuter is both costly and inhumane. Gaspar clearly adopted the same approach.
Attendees also raised the difficulty low-income residents face in obtaining affordable spay/neuter services. Gaspar discussed expanding and better publicizing free and low-cost programs.
If Los Angeles is serious about achieving and maintaining no-kill of healthy adoptable animals, spay/neuter must be a priority. I was particularly pleased that Gaspar recognized its importance.
LISTENING TO ANIMAL WELFARE ADVOCATES
The discussion covered other important issues, including humane education in schools, responsible pet ownership, shelter operations, animal control enforcement, licensing, and the preservation of Pierce College's agricultural and animal-related educational facilities. Gaspar expressed support for protecting those facilities, which provide important educational opportunities and can serve animals during emergencies.
He also made a particularly significant commitment: if elected, he intends to establish volunteer advisory committees, including one addressing animal welfare, that would meet monthly. This would provide an ongoing opportunity for people who work directly with animals to share their knowledge and concerns. Too often, candidates listen carefully during campaigns but lose touch with community advocates after taking office. Regular meetings could help ensure that the problems discussed on October 18 receive continued attention.
GASPAR’S CONCERN FOR ANIMALS EXTENDS BEYOND LOS ANGELES
For me, and perhaps for the tens of thousands of people who have expressed support for it, one of the most significant statements of the morning came when Gaspar brought up, on his own initiative, the proposed Los Angeles-Hanoi Sister City relationship to help end the dog and cat meat trades in Vietnam. I had previously discussed the proposal with Gaspar and provided him with copies of correspondence I had sent to other Councilmembers about it. But at the Meet & Greet, Gaspar raised the issue before I asked about it.
City Council File 25-0193, introduced by Councilmember Blumenfield on February 21, 2025, calls for initiating the process of considering Hanoi as a Sister City of Los Angeles. It also directs City representatives to keep in mind Los Angeles's previously adopted policy opposing the dog meat trade. The objective is to use the benefits of a sister-city relationship to encourage Hanoi to work cooperatively toward ending the dog and cat meat trades.
As described in my CityWatch article, Five Million Dogs and Cats Desperately Need Saving in Vietnam, approximately five million dogs and one million cats are killed annually in Vietnam's meat trades, often under horrific conditions. A sister-city relationship could provide economic, educational, cultural, and other benefits to both cities while encouraging progress toward ending this cruelty.
Unfortunately, the motion has remained stalled in the City Council's Rules Committee for more than a year and a half. I sincerely hope it will be considered and approved by the current City Council.
If the current City Council does not act, however, Gaspar has made clear that he intends to help move the proposal forward. He told those attending that he had discussed the proposal with Blumenfield and that, if elected, he would make bringing it before the Council one of his early priorities. His words were: "I would make it one of the first things I do." He expressed his determination to bring the proposal to a vote.
I was very impressed that Gaspar raised this issue without being asked. It demonstrated that his concern for animal welfare extends beyond Council District 3, beyond Los Angeles, and even beyond the United States. Blumenfield introduced the sister-city motion. Gaspar has now publicly committed to helping advance it. I believe that continuing Blumenfield's animal welfare leadership, both locally and internationally, is particularly important.
OTHER ISSUES AND WHY I SUPPORT GASPAR
Gaspar also discussed his four principal priorities: public safety, addressing homelessness, supporting small businesses, and investing in youth programs.
He expressed strong support for Neighborhood Councils and discussed giving them a more meaningful role in decisions affecting their communities.
At our October 18 Meet & Greet, Gaspar demonstrated true leadership: the ability to recognize problems, listen to people who understand them, and a willingness to act. He recognized spay/neuter as the most effective starting point for addressing shelter overcrowding and the killing of healthy adoptable dogs and cats in our shelters. He listened to experienced advocates, committed to ongoing consultation, supported animal-related educational facilities, and expressed support for an initiative that could help save the lives of millions of dogs and cats in Vietnam. I believe Tim Gaspar can continue and build upon Bob Blumenfield's animal welfare leadership.
That is why I am supporting Tim Gaspar for Los Angeles City Council District 3. The animals of Los Angeles cannot vote. But those of us who care about them can. And we should remember them when we cast our ballots.
(Jeffrey Mausner is a retired attorney, former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor, and longtime animal welfare advocate. He serves on the Tarzana Neighborhood Council Board as Second Vice President and Chair of its Animal Welfare Committee, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC). He is co-founder of the Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition, has volunteered at the West Valley Animal Shelter for approximately 13 years, and is a CityWatch featured writer. In 2024, he received a Special Commendation from the California Legislature. Mausner wrote this article solely in his individual capacity. His opinions and political endorsements are his own and do not represent those of any organization with which he is affiliated.)
