While shelter leaders may disagree with one another about strategies or policies—and healthy debate is important—not one of them wakes up intending to do anything other than the very best they can for animals and the communities they serve. The problem is that today, doing your very best often isn’t enough. Not because people don’t care. Because the math no longer works.

Today, there is no single state agency charged with licensing, inspecting, collecting data from, or providing consistent oversight of the thousands of entities involved in companion animal care throughout California. That needs to change.

The California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals) today announced the launch of "It's a Sign," a new public awareness advertising campaign designed to encourage more Californians to adopt pets from animal shelters.

We are writing to provide clarity to the animal welfare community: The Community Cat Program has been validated as legal in its current form since February 2025, and criteria have been established to support the lawfulness of other community cat programs in California, making them an essential tool for modern sheltering.

Throughout her career, Gabrielle has focused on professionalizing the sheltering field, strengthening staff development, and cultivating a workplace rooted in optimism, compassion, and purpose.

California is facing a well-documented shortage of veterinarians, particularly those trained and willing to perform high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) surgery. At the same time, demand for services has surged. The result is a bottleneck that no amount of dedication can overcome without systemic change.