Los Angeles’ sprawling animal shelter system is getting a new top dog. Mayor Karen Bass on Friday named Gabrielle Amster as the next general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, putting a veteran animal welfare executive in charge of the city’s six-shelter network. The appointment now heads to the City Council for confirmation. If approved, Amster will inherit a department that processes roughly 60,000 animals a year and has faced mounting criticism over overcrowding and rising euthanasia rates.
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Bass praised Amster’s record, saying she “has spent nearly two decades advancing innovative approaches in animal welfare” and will bring “steady leadership” to the troubled agency. The mayor’s office also released a statement from Amster, who said she looks forward to providing “the highest standard of care” for animals under the city’s watch. If confirmed, she would oversee one of the largest municipal shelter systems in the country, a role that comes with high expectations and plenty of scrutiny.
Amster previously served as director of Wallis Annenberg PetSpace from 2021 to 2025 and was earlier executive director of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. According to the California Animal Welfare Association, she helped boost adoptions and expand access to spay-and-neuter services during her tenure at PetSpace, an experience City Hall is clearly hoping will translate to a much bigger and more complex system.
Shelters Strain Under Overcrowding And Rising Euthanasia
The numbers Amster is walking into are sobering. The department’s own data show euthanasia on the rise even as fewer animals are coming through the doors. In the first two months of 2026, 284 dogs were euthanized, a 39% jump from the same period in 2025 despite a 6% drop in dog intakes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The hire follows a period of leadership churn. Former general manager Staycee Dains resigned in 2024, and Annette Ramirez has been serving as interim, a transition that has only intensified scrutiny from volunteers and rescue organizations, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. Volunteers have repeatedly raised alarms about kennel stress and behavioral decline among animals kept in crowded, high-pressure shelter conditions, concerns that will now land squarely on Amster’s desk.
What Comes Next
Amster’s appointment now moves to the City Council, where confirmation hearings are expected to feature pointed questions and testimony from shelter staff, volunteers and animal welfare groups. Rescue organizations are watching for specific, actionable plans to expand spay-and-neuter capacity, cut down the amount of time animals spend in shelters and reduce stress inside the kennels.
Bass’ public backing and Amster’s nonprofit track record have raised hopes among some advocates, but they also set a high bar. Those same advocates say the real test will not be statements or résumés, but measurable changes on the ground: cleaner data, shorter stays, fewer animals deteriorating in cages and, ultimately, fewer of them being euthanized.
