California Lawmakers Advance Cockfighting Cruelty Act Targeting Large-Scale Gamefowl Yards

Cockfighting is illegal in California and a new bill would give authorities another way to target people who raise roosters as fighting animals.

The Senate Committee on Business, Professional and Economic Development is scheduled to hold a hearing today on the California Cockfighting Cruelty Act. The bill would set civil fines of $2,500 for people who raise more than 25 roosters and tether the birds.

Jenny Berg, California state director for the group Humane World for Animals, said the birds are often kept in cruel conditions, including small cages or on leashes.

“It's the same thing as you would typically see in dog-fighting practices,” Berg explained. “You would have a rooster that can see another rooster, and they're conditioning aggression so they can be used in fighting.”

During a fight, roosters are fitted with sharp blades on their legs so they slash each other, often to the death.

Opponents of the bill said it does not address cockfighting and infringes on private property rights. In 2019, a California appeals court upheld a similar ordinance in Monterey County, ruling it regulates private property rights but does not violate them.

In recent years, authorities have busted large so-called game fowl yards in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties involving thousands of birds each. Berg noted that criminal gangs in California sell cockfighting roosters around the world.

“Despite the fact that California has strong fighting laws, the USDA has estimated that cockfighting is a multibillion-dollar criminal industry in California that involves more than 3 million birds,” Berg reported.

The bill has already passed the state Assembly. Its next stop is the Senate Judiciary Committee