Outgoing California Gov. Gray Davis recently signed into law a bill that will significantly increase fines against those convicted of cockfighting, but likely not have much real impact because it does not increase possible jail time nor elevate cockfighting to a felony.
Under current California law, cockfighting is a misdemeanor with a maximum $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Effective January 1, 2004, however, the fine for a first offense is raised to a maximum of $5,000 and a second offense to $25,000.
The impetus for the bill was the 2002 outbreak of Newcastle disease in California which some blamed on the large number of illegal cockfighting operations in California. An expert on poultry from the University of California extension testified against that notion, however, and language to that effect was removed from the bill by its sponsor.
Originally the bill was written to elevate cockfighting to a felony, but legislators balked at that because of the implications it might have for California’s three strikes law. Without felony status backed up with longer terms in jail, however, police are unlikely to devote limited resources to cracking down on cockfighting in California./
The full text of the bill can be read here.