CALIFORNIA – AB 928 – the Cockfighting Cruelty Act, was sent to the Senate Agriculture and Judiciary Committee, June 18, after passing the Assembly, 46-15.

If passed into law, the bill would ban keeping more than 25 roosters in enclosures or on tethers, starting January 1, 2027.

According to bill author Assemblymember Chris Rogers, AB 928 empowers law enforcement to address the illegal practice of cockfighting by establishing civil penalties for gamefowl yards where roosters are bred for cockfighting.

The bill imposes a penalty of up to $2,500 per day to each rooster kept in violation.

Satellite imagery identified gamefowl yards in 43 counties in California

Cockfighting involves forcing two animals with metal weapons attached to their legs to fight to the death. 

It persists in California despite being illegal, as proving intent to fight roosters is challenging. The three largest cockfighting seizures from 2000 to 2024 in the United States were in California.

In 2017, Los Angeles County seized 7,000 birds in a cockfighting bust. About 2,700 birds had been seized from the same property in 2007.

Bill sponsor Humane World for Animals said these operations are not confined to any single region of the state. 

“A Humane World research project using publicly available satellite imagery identified gamefowl yards in 43 counties across the state. Due to the distinctive layout and the tethering or individual caging of birds, these gamefowl yards are easily identified on Google Earth — much like dogfighting yards,” according to the organization.

They argue cockfighting is barbaric, gamefowl pose a high avian disease risk to commercial flocks and gamefowl yards lower property values.

Critics say bill would create unintended consequences for law abiding citizens

Critics say the bill over-reaches, impacting lawful private ownership.

The Tulare County Farm Bureau noted that many Californians cage roosters to prevent fighting or preserve show birds’ feathers.

In addition, the bill does not exempt non-501(c)(3) rooster rescues, those who raise roosters for food (non-commercial), Hmong cultural practices involving roosters, and others, according to the bureau.