California has long prided itself as a national model for enacting legislation that protects animals from cruelty. It remains a question, however, why the state has turned a blind eye to the poisoning effects of cockfighting in our communities.
It’s not for lack of opportunity to take action. This year, the California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 928, the Cockfighting Cruelty Act, authored by Assemblymember Chris Rogers, D-Santa Rosa, which would halt the mass breeding of birds bred specifically to fight each other.
The law, with clear exemptions for legitimate poultry operations, educational programs and agricultural organizations like 4-H and Future Farmers of America, was not taken up by the Senate Agriculture Committee (some senators on the committee wanted more assurances that the bill would not impact their constituents who have roosters for legitimate purposes).
Because of the legislature’s failure to close this glaring loophole, cockfighting continues to plague California communities. Just last month, San Bernardino County authorities wrapped up a multiweek investigation, “Crowing Rooster.” Over a span of six weeks, deputies served 26 search warrants, arrested 56 people (as young as 16 and as old as 73) and seized 3,500 fighting birds. Alongside thousands of birds, law enforcement confiscated 12 firearms — three of them untraceable “ghost guns” — as well as cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl. They also found $259,000 in cash.
These findings are certainly not the exception: Most cockfighting events are hubs for narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling and they can even result in crimes like murder (Miguel Martinez-Mendoza, 48, was shot and killed in Merced County during an illegal rooster fight).
Sadly, too often children are also present and involved in the events.
The results of this massive cockfighting investigation should be a wake-up call for every state lawmaker. Cockfighting is a criminal enterprise hiding in plain sight, and available data suggests that this loophole in the law has enabled and emboldened cockfighting operations in California.
Three of the largest cockfighting seizures in U.S. history have occurred in California, and there is evidence to suggest the presence of gamefowl yards across 43 of California’s 58 counties. Polling consistently shows that Californians are against cockfighting, including a poll conducted earlier this year in which 71% of the state’s voters said they would support legislation to crack down on cockfighting operations.
At this point, there are enough cases, data and animal suffering to warrant a change in the law. We can’t afford to wait any longer for the needed action to address cockfighting. Next time around, the Senate Agriculture Committee must pass this bill.
