The Monterey County Board of Supervisors is considering changes to the county’s “Rooster Ordinance” in order to combat cockfighting.
“The current ordinance is one of the most ineffective ones that the county has, frankly, because it doesn’t really deal with cockfighting,” said Supervisor Glenn Church at Tuesday’s board meeting.
In 2015, Monterey County passed an ordinance to regulate the number of roosters allowed on properties in its unincorporated regions by setting space requirements for the welfare of the birds.
One of the goals of the ordinance was to deter illegal rooster-keeping operations and cockfighting, a practice that is illegal in all 50 states.
In Monterey County in March, 40 people fled the scene of an alleged cockfighting ring in Greenfield. Last year, a man in Salinas was suspected of possessing 350 roosters raised for cockfighting.
The 2015 ordinance requires properties to obtain a permit if they want to house more than five roosters and undergo inspections of housing facilities to ensure they meet the sizing requirements.
County criticized for lax enforcement
However, some have criticized the county for not enforcing the ordinance, as well as been critical of the ordinance itself for not setting up enough restrictions against cockfighting.
In 2019, a civil grand jury report found that the county struggled to enforce the ordinance, allowing “illegal rooster keeping operations in Monterey County to continue with impunity,” the report said.
Tuesday’s meeting to revisit the ordinance comes one year after the board asked Hitchcock Road Animal Services Agency to look into ways the county could better approach tackling cockfighting. Hitchcock Road Animal Services Agency provides animal control and shelter services for unincorporated Monterey County.
Cindy Burnham, the animal services administrator for the agency, gave a presentation at the meeting outlining the limitations in the ordinance and in the county’s ability to enforce it.
A lack of staffing to process permitting and conduct inspections of properties was the main issue, she said.
“This enforcement has been a challenge from the start, and staffing has really been the key issue,” Burnham said.
Permits don’t guarantee compliance
This year, the agency has issued eight permits with more than 100 properties in line waiting for approval.
Additionally, the ordinance’s regulations are loose enough that even properties that are granted permits can still operate illegal cockfighting. The ordinance allows properties to house up to 499 roosters as long as they meet the housing requirements.
“We have had cases where they followed all the directions and all the guidelines of the application for the ordinance, and we have to issue them a permit knowing that perhaps the birds they have are used in cockfighting or that they are doing such behavior,” Burnham said.
Supervisor Wendy Root Askew proposed lowering the maximum number of roosters allowed on permitted properties down to 25. The board also asked how it can either help boost staffing resources in the Hitchcock Road Animal Services Agency or outsource permit processing.
The board asked Hitchcock Road Animal Services Agency to come back in 90 days with an ordinance proposal for review.
