Best Friends has announced plans to cease operations by December 31 at the Mission Hills location that was formerly the Northeast Valley Animal Shelter funded by Proposition F funds. The Board of Animal Services Commissioners has issued an RFP (Request for Proposal) to lease the Northeast Valley Animal Shelter to rescue organizations to operate, rather than operate it through Animal Services. The Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils passed a motion on July 14, 2022 noting that the facility was not meant to be privately operated, that the Board of Animal Services did not provide an opportunity for Neighborhood Councils to provide input and requests time to provide input before releasing the RFP. Other Neighborhood Councils have passed similar motions.
In 2000, voters approved Proposition F which provided $154 million to build, repair, expand, renovate or replace eight animal shelters. Valley voters had an expectation that the City would hire the staff needed to operate this shelter and while it was supposed to be completed and open to the public no later than November 2007, it has never been a municipal shelter open to the public.
