Why angry animal advocates have become some of Nithya Raman’s loudest critics

As Nithya Raman campaigns to become Los Angeles’ next mayor, a growing number of animal activists are accusing her of ignoring an animal welfare crisis on Skid Row.

Animal rescuer Joey Tuccio says his team has rescued over 100 animals on Skid Row in the last three years, a conservative estimate. 

“This past Sunday, we rescued three dogs in less than an hour,” Tuccio told The California Post as he detailed the horror experienced by some of the animals.

Tuccio has seen dogs who had their legs broken intentionally, their eyes and privates glued shut, raped, beaten and starved. His team has even seen dogs overdosing on drugs that require Narcan to survive.

Tuccio, who works for the Skid Row-focused nonprofit It Starts With One Today, has been pushing City Hall to address animal welfare concerns in the area. He says animal activists recently turned their attention to Raman because of her run for mayor and her background as a homeless activist and chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee. 

Raman hasn’t taken action or spoken up for the animals during her time in City Hall, according to Tuccio.

In contrast, Raman’s primary opponent, Spencer Pratt, was much more vocal about the animal abuse on Skid Row.

“Since she started running for mayor, obviously a lot of our eyes have been on her because she’s been one of Spencer’s biggest haters,” Tuccio said. “One of Spencer’s biggest talking points was helping the dogs on Skid Row. So now our frustration is really twofold with her.” 

Raman’s press team has not responded to a request for comment.

Raman’s Instagram and Twitter accounts are flooded with comments from angry animal advocates demanding action on the animal abuse crisis on Skid Row. 

“What about the animals? You continue to ignore the growing crisis impacting our shelter system, not to mention the blatant neglect and abuse happening on skid row. Us volunteers in animal welfare are sick of paying the bills and cleaning up the mess…,” one used commented on a recent Raman campaign post.

In April, Raman posted a video showing her visit to an animal shelter where she promised to provide more funding to shelters and non-profits that spay and neuter animals. 

Tuccio says that is not enough because she has not addressed animal abuse by the homeless community.

Tuccio said Raman must first publicly acknowledge what he says is the true scope of the problem by correcting what he describes as false information about conditions on Skid Row. He also urged her to fund dedicated teams with the authority to enforce animal cruelty laws, rescue abused and neglected dogs from the area, provide veterinary care, and, when possible, rehabilitate and train them before adoption.

Some of these animals who could use the help include a dog Tuccio named Giuliana. “She was tied to a dumpster. No food and water. Cancerous masses hanging off her. Covered in flies,” he said. 

“Across the street was a breeding center on Skid Row where pugs were being inbred for generations. The mayor’s office knew about this. LAPD Central knew about this. Those dogs slowly starved to death one by one,” he added. 

Tuccio says Raman and Mayor Karen Bass need to differentiate between homeless people who simply fell on hard times and are capable of caring for their animals, versus severe drug addicts with nefarious intentions for their animals. 

“Honestly, (Raman) has to take a chapter from Spencer’s book and call it as it is,” Tuccio said. “She’s being way too political. She’s being way too soft handed with her approach.”