Join Fix Our Shelters 2nd Annual Lobby Day

May 20, 2026 | California State Capitol

📍 Meet-Up Location

Swing Space Building – 7th Floor Communal Area

1021 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

🕘 Meet Between 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

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We’ll organize into teams, review talking points, and head to legislative meetings together.

No lobbying experience needed.

If you’ve ever:

• Bottle-Fed Kittens At 3 A.M.

• Trapped Cats In Triple-Digit Heat

• Pulled Over For A Loose Dog On The Side Of the Road

• Or Written A Four-Paragraph Facebook Comment While Muting Yourself On A Work Zoom…

…you are already spiritually qualified for Lobby Day.

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What To Know Before You Come

• 👟 Dress Comfortably

• 🚫 No Signs Permitted Inside The Building

• 💧 Water Bottles Are Okay

• 🛂 You Will Need To Go Through Security Screening To Enter The Building Which Sometimes Takes A While

• ⏰ Plan To Be There For Approximately 6 Hours
   

🚗 Parking Information

Nearby public parking options include:

• Capitol Garage 10th & L St.

• State Parking Garage Enter between P & O on 11th St

• State Parking Garage Enter between P & O on 10th St

• Downtown Sacramento Metered Street Parking

• Parking availability can be unpredictable because apparently everyone in Sacramento will also decide to go downtown that day, so arriving a little early is strongly encouraged.

• Carpooling is also encouraged if possible!
   

At some point, “somebody should really do something about this” becomes loading yourself into a car at an unreasonable hour with iced coffee, emotional support snacks, and a deep concern for animals.

That point is May 20.

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Advocates from across California — from Redding to Riverside County — will come together at the California State Capitol to speak directly with Assemblymembers and Senators about the growing animal welfare and public safety crisis happening across our state.

Because this issue is no longer just about overcrowded shelters.

It’s about:

• Rising Stray Animal Populations

• Dangerous Dog Pack Behavior And Mauling Incidents

• Increasing Zoonotic Disease Risks That Spread From Animals To Humans

• Rescues Burning Out Trying To Fill Government Gaps

• Communities Left Without Adequate Animal Control Response

• Animals Suffering In Broken Systems While Everyone Pretends “Everything Is Fine”

Spoiler alert: everything is not fine.

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Together, We’ll Advocate For:

• Ending Illegal Restricted Intake Policies

• Increasing Spay & Neuter Funding

• Funding Aging And Overcrowded Shelters

• Enforcing Existing Animal Welfare Laws

• Creating Stronger Oversight And Accountability For Shelters And Rescues

• Establishing A Statewide Oversight Agency For Shelters And Rescue Organizations

• Strengthening Protections Against Cruelty, Neglect, And Hoarding

• Passing Stricter Breeding Ordinances

• Restricting Irresponsible Backyard Breeder Sales Through Social Media Platforms

• Addressing The Growing Public Safety Risks Associated With Stray And Abandoned Animals

Because “post the dog on Facebook and hope somebody’s cousin can foster” is not public policy.

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Why Showing Up Matters

Let’s be honest: we are not walking into the Capitol with billion-dollar PR teams and professional lobbyists whispering in lawmakers’ ears.

But we are up against some of the most powerful organizations in "animal welfare" that are, including:

• ASPCA

• Humane World for Animals

• Best Friends Animal Society

• CalAnimals (formerly the California Animal Welfare Association / California Animal Shelter Directors Association)

• San Diego Humane Society

• San Francisco SPCA

• Lobbying voices like Jennifer Fearing

• And influential programs like the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program
   

Meanwhile, rescuers, fosters, volunteers, veterinary staff, and ordinary residents are the ones living the reality of these policies influenced by these highly profitable non-profits every single day.

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California was promised “No-Kill” reform. Instead, many advocates believe reduced-intake policies and community deflection strategies contributed to worsening overcrowding, increased suffering, and rising euthanasia numbers in shelters statewide.

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Critics have also raised concerns regarding the approximately $50 million provided to the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program to support statewide shelter initiatives, while the March 2026 report expected to be submitted to the Legislature does not yet appear to have been publicly released or discussed.

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These are conversations legislators need to hear directly from constituents, not just large organizations and paid lobbyists.

Because right now:

• Rescues Are Overwhelmed

• Shelters Are Refusing Animals In Need

• Communities Are Dealing With Public Safety Risks

• And Animals Are Paying The Price

And respectfully, if we leave all the conversations to the people with the biggest lobbying budgets, we probably should not be surprised when the same policies keep getting pushed.

 

​​Why Lobby Day Actually Works

Legislators hear from professional lobbyists every day.

What they don’t hear enough from are:

• Rescuers

• Volunteers

• Foster Families

• Veterinary Professionals

• Frustrated Residents

• And The People Watching These Systems Fail In Real Time
   

Showing up matters.

It influences:

• Legislation

• Budget Priorities

• Oversight Discussions

• And Whether Lawmakers Understand Just How Serious This Crisis Has Become
   

Also, animals cannot physically walk into the Capitol and advocate for themselves.

The dogs would immediately derail the meeting looking for snacks, and the cats would decline participation unless someone improved the lighting and acknowledged their emotional boundaries.

So we’re going for them.

Join Us May 20th

Help us remind California lawmakers that animal welfare is not just an “animal issue.”

It’s Public Safety.
It’s Community Health.
It’s Accountability.
And California cannot afford to keep ignoring it.