FOXLA reporter Matthew Seedorf posted on his X account a letter from Lisa Lange, PETA's Sr. Vice President of Communications. Lange addressed this letter to CA Governor Gavin Newsom entreating him to address the crisis of abused, trafficked and murdered animals on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles.
JUST IN: @peta has sent a letter to @CAgovernor @GavinNewsom urging immediate state action over what it calls a “companion animal crisis” on Skid Row.
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) February 27, 2026
The group alleges widespread abuse, illegal breeding, and neglect… claiming @MayorOfLA Karen Bass’s administration has failed… pic.twitter.com/um1mDllo8p
Lange wrote:
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.
As RedState reported, Bass made claims to ABC7 Los Angeles that the animals on Skid Row, "are not neglected," despite daily video evidence to the contrary. Independent journalist Julio Rosas embedded with Starts With One Today, an animal rescue organization that works to save the animals of Skid Row, and with his video footage of the abuse and neglect, and interviews with Starts With One Today volunteers, more awareness has been raised about the plight of the dogs and cats. Other news organizations including RedState have helped sound the alarm to this crisis, and concerned citizens have flooded Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' office and social media accounts demanding she take action and enforce the animal protection laws and regulations.
Dogs on Skid Row have allegedly been illegally bred, neglected, and even killed while authorities failed to act💔@MayorofLA pledged to help protect animals in Los Angeles through a new initiative but these dogs are still suffering.
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2026
The letter continued,
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 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.
In 2025, Newsom signed three animal rights bills into law, but it would be surprising if he bothered to act on this matter. Newsom is much too busy doing damage control on his flailing book tour and his 2028 presidential aspirations to worry about animal cruelty.
Right on cue, a Newsom spokesperson responded to Seedorff. While his team didn't write the words "f@%k off" as they did with RealClearPolitics journalist Susan Crabtree, they pretty much used their reply to transmit the same message.
A spokesperson for @CAgovernor @GavinNewsom tells me, “The state does not condone mistreatment of animals, which should be protected from abuse or neglect. We urge local communities, including Los Angeles, to address any abuse or neglect occurring within their jurisdiction.”
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) February 27, 2026
They lobbed that ball right back in Bass' court.
Read More: Watch: LA Mayor Bass' Complicity in the Abuse, Trafficking and Death of Dogs on Skid Row Exposed
As Gavin Newsom Stacks Up the Disasters, His Comms Team Is Melting Down
The Mayor is trying to get re-elected with several opponents nipping at her heels; including Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades Fire thanks to Bass' malfeasance. That, coupled with the coverup of the causation of the fire and the former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley suing the City of Los Angeles for wrongful termination and retaliation, the Skid Row animal crisis is just another thing that Bass mismanaged and should be hung around her neck like a millstone. As a train increases in speed, this terrible story is getting more national attention, as it should. The grossly incompetent, craven, and deluded Bass does not deserve to be at the helm of the city, especially with Los Angeles slated to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Bass at least recognizes that the constant drip of public pressure is the worst PR imaginable. So, her office also responded to the letter. It's amazing how quickly she went from "the animals are not neglected," to "You lie!" and "We're on top of it."
NEW: @MayorOfLA’s office is firing back at @peta sending me this message calling the claims “entirely false and irresponsible.”
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) February 27, 2026
The spokesperson says more than 50 Los Angeles Police Department officers in the area are now trained to identify and act on animal abuse, with… pic.twitter.com/4OndqVB8xn
It is entirely false and irresponsible to claim that Mayor Bass has not taken action to combat animal abuse on Skid Row. Animal abuse is a serious crime. At the direction of Mayor Bass, more than 50 LAPD officers working on Skid Row are now trained to identify and take action against animal abuse. Multiple felony and misdemeanor cases have been filed, and rescued animals have been successfully adopted or fostered - this work will continue.
Angelenos can report crimes against animals to Crimestoppers, either online at www.lacrimestoppers.org or by using their tip line 800-222-TIPS. If people witness a crime against an animal in progress, they should call 911 immediately.
Look up the word, "Tone Deaf" in the dictionary, and there's a picture of Karen Bass next to it.
Starts With One Today animal rescuer and activist Joey Tuccio has invited Bass to actually come to Skid Row herself to see the actual condition of the animals.
I personally invite Karen Bass to come with me to Skid Row. Not somebody else from her team. Not a PR person. I invite Karen Bass to come with me to Skid Row. Karen, I await your response to my invitation.
— JoeyTuccio (@joey_tuccio) February 27, 2026
Let's hope he's not holding his breath. We certainly aren't.
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