Less than a week after Petco Park hosted the first rodeo within the city of San Diego since the 1980s, a council member is proposing a citywide rodeo ban based on animal cruelty concerns.
“Entertainment is not a justification for cruelty toward animals,” Councilmember Kent Lee said. “This ordinance will ensure that no more animals will needlessly suffer under the guise of entertainment in San Diego.”
Lee’s decision comes after last weekend’s three-day event drew some protests. Last fall, animal rights groups and the county Democratic Party unsuccessfully lobbied the Padres to cancel the event.
Animal rights groups say animals in rodeos are needlessly shocked and have their necks and legs put in dangerous positions against their will.
The Padres declined to comment Thursday. Local rodeo advocates called the move an attack on cultural traditions and vowed to fight it.
“We view this as a direct attack against our cultural heritage and Indigenous traditions,” the San Diego Rodeo Alliance said in a joint statement. “We are prepared and determined to mobilize against this bad policy decision which is out of touch with our community’s values.”
The statement was signed by leaders of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and the Charro Coalition of San Diego.
Lee, who represents north central neighborhoods including Mira Mesa and University City, said in a news release that he plans to introduce the proposed ban during an upcoming meeting of the council’s Land Use and Housing Committee.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 1. If approved by the panel, the ban would be forwarded to the full council for approval.
In November, the Padres defended the group that put on the event at Petco, C5 Rodeo Company.
“We have been assured by the group that is hosting this event that the safety, security and well-being of the contestants and livestock of the San Diego Rodeo are of the utmost importance,” the Padres said. “They are event professionals who are experts in livestock handling and care, as well as pre-event, event and post-event care for the contestants.”
The team also noted that while Petco hasn’t hosted a rodeo since it opened in 2004, annual rodeos are held in the San Diego County communities of Poway, Ramona and Lakeside. A rodeo was held within San Diego at the sports arena in the 1980s.
Petco was reconfigured for the event, with the infield baseball diamond becoming the arena and a warm-up area created in left field in front of the bullpen.
The San Diego Humane Society endorsed Lee’s proposed ban on Thursday.
“We stand united in advocating for a ban on rodeos in the city of San Diego and beyond, as we firmly believe that entertainment should never compromise the well-being of animals,” said Gary Weitzman, the Humane Society’s chief executive. “Rodeos, with their common use of inhumane tools, perpetuate cruelty rather than genuine entertainment.”
In addition to lobbying for a citywide ban, animal rights groups sued the Padres in November claiming that rodeos involve shocking horses in ways that violate state penal code.
Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil has scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing on that lawsuit, which was filed by a group called Showing Animals Respect and Kindness.
