A trip to the Los Angeles Zoo will soon cost you a few dollars more, after the City Council voted to increase ticket prices starting next month.
On Friday, council members voted unanimously to approve an ordinance that would raise general zoo admission fees by $5. The decision comes months after elected officials approved a $14-billion spending plan intended to curb the city’s budget crisis for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The following admission rates go into effect July 1: Tickets for children ages 2 to 12 will cost $22, and adult tickets for those ages 13 and up will be $27. Senior tickets for those ages 62 and older will cost $24.
The zoo’s initial budget came from a bond measure approved by voters in 1956 to construct a facility to replace the Griffith Park Zoo, which had opened in 1912 and was running out of space, according to the L.A City Controller.
The L.A. Zoo opened in 1966.
This is not the first time the council has approved increasing ticket prices. In 2012, ticket prices rose by $2 — starting at $16 per adult, at a time when tickets to the San Diego Zoo cost $40 per adult. A single-day adult ticket at the San Diego Zoo today is $76.
“The zoo is suffering from budget restraints, but the only way of raising revenue would be to raise prices,” one Reddit user wrote. “Care to compare prices at San Diego Zoo (prime tourist attraction) and Los Angeles Zoo (accessible for the people living there) … The point is that the L.A. Zoo is operated on a different level.”
Mayor Karen Bass’ initial proposed city budget sought the reduction of 53 positions at the zoo, about 19% of its workforce, as well as a one-time budget reduction of $500,000 in part-time staffing. In a letter to the council’s Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee, L.A. Zoo Director and Chief Executive Denise Verret said these cuts would result in heavy workloads for employees and harm the visitor experience.
Verret proposed restoring one vacant and 10 filled positions. The city’s approved budget will go into effect July 1.
