Bill Text: CA SB1145 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Animal fighting.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2012-07-13 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 133, Statutes of 2012. [SB1145 Detail]
Download: California-2011-SB1145-Amended.html
Bill Title: Animal fighting.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2012-07-13 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 133, Statutes of 2012. [SB1145 Detail]
Download: California-2011-SB1145-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 1145 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 29, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Senator Emmerson ( Coauthors: Senators Alquist, Cannella, Hancock, Liu, Strickland, Walters, Wolk, and Yee ) ( Coauthors: Assembly Members Jeffries and Miller ) FEBRUARY 21, 2012 An act to amend Sections 597band, 597c , 597i, and 597j of the Penal Code, relating to animal fighting. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1145, as amended, Emmerson. Animal fighting. Existing law prohibits a person, for amusement or gain, from causing, permitting on his or her premises, or aiding and abetting in the fighting of specified animals , including bears and dogs . A violation of this prohibition is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by a fine not to exceed $5,000, or by both. This bill would raise the fine to $10,000. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly be present as a spectator at any place, building, or tenement for an exhibition of animal fighting or for preparations for that act. A violation of this prohibition is punishable by imprisonment in a county j ail for a period not to exceed 6 months, or by a fine not to exceed $1,000, or by both. This bill would raise the fine to $5,000. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to manufacture, buy, sell, barter, exchange, or for a person to have in his or her possession any of the implements commonly known as gaffs or slashers, or any other sharp implement designed to be attached in place of the natural spur of a gamecock or other fighting bird. A violation of this prohibition is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, by a fine not to exceed $5,000, or by both, and upon conviction, in addition to any judgment or sentence imposed by the court, forfeiture of possession or ownership of those implements. This bill would raise the fine to $10,000. Existing law prohibits a person from owning, possessing, keeping, or training any bird or other animal with the intent that it be used or engaged by himself or herself, by his or her vendee, or by any other person in an exhibition of fighting. A person who violates this prohibition is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, by a fine not to exceed $5,000, or by both. This bill would raise the fine to $10,000. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 597b of the Penal Code is amended to read: 597b. (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), any person who, for amusement or gain, causes any bull, bear, or other animal, not including any dog, to fight with like kind of animal or creature, or causes any animal, including any dog, to fight with a different kind of animal or creature, or with any human being, or who, for amusement or gain, worries or injures any bull, bear, dog, or other animal, or causes any bull, bear, or other animal, not including any dog, to worry or injure each other, or any person who permits the same to be done on any premises under his or her charge or control, or any person who aids or abets the fighting or worrying of an animal or creature, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine. (b) Any person who, for amusement or gain, causes any cock to fight with another cock or with a different kind of animal or creature or with any human being; or who, for amusement or gain, worries or injures any cock, or causes any cock to worry or injure another animal; and any person who permits the same to be done on any premises under his or her charge or control, and any person who aids or abets the fighting or worrying of any cock is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine. (c) A second or subsequent conviction of this section is a misdemeanor or a felony punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year or the state prison for 16 months, two, or three years, by a fine not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine, except in unusual circumstances in which the interests of justice would be better served by the imposition of a lesser sentence. (d) For the purposes of this section, aiding and abetting a violation of this section shall consist of something more than merely being present or a spectator at a place where a violation is occurring. SEC. 2. Section 597c of the Penal Code is amended to read: 597c. Any person who is knowingly present as a spectator at any place, building, or tenement for an exhibition of animal fighting, or who is knowingly present at that exhibition or is knowingly present where preparations are being made for the acts described in subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 597b, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed six months, or by a fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine. SEC. 3. Section 597i of the Penal Code is amended to read: 597i. (a) It shall be unlawful for anyone to manufacture, buy, sell, barter, exchange, or have in his or her possession any of the implements commonly known as gaffs or slashers, or any other sharp implement designed to be attached in place of the natural spur of a gamecock or other fighting bird. (b) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, by a fine not to exceedfive thousand dollars ($5,000)ten thousand dollars ($10,000) , or by both that imprisonment and fine and upon conviction thereof shall, in addition to any judgment or sentence imposed by the court, forfeit possession or ownership of those implements. SEC. 4. Section 597j of the Penal Code is amended to read: 597j. (a) Any person who owns, possesses, keeps, or trains any bird or other animal with the intent that it be used or engaged by himself or herself, by his or her vendee, or by any other person in an exhibition of fighting as described in Section 597b is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, by a fine not to exceedfive thousand dollars ($5,000)ten thousand dollars ($10,000) , or by both that imprisonment and fine. (b) This section shall not apply to an exhibition of fighting of a dog with another dog. (c) A second or subsequent conviction of this section is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine, except in unusual circumstances in which the interests of justice would be better served by the imposition of a lesser sentence.