LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia

ALT Shelter Volunteer Program needs improvement While the vast majority of volunteers are positive contributors at animal shelters, both LAAS staff and volunteers reported that tension between the two groups can create a difficult work environment for all parties. Our Office interviewed 14 volunteers who were part of the top 30% of hours volunteered over the past three fiscal years. Overall, volunteers indicated satisfaction with their volunteer experience at City animal shelters, however, ranked working with LAAS staff lowest (2.9 out of 5) and working with other volunteers highest (4.8 out of 5). Volunteers’ experiences with LAAS employees included having communication issues, including being ignored when asking for assistance and not being updated about new policies and procedures. Volunteers also generally felt that shelters were crowded, that the number of employees was insufficient to fully care for the animals, and expressed some concerns about unnecessary euthanasia determinations