Repeal the legalization of betting on live horse racing from the California Constitution
The Issue
President Pro Tem Limon and Speaker Rivas, please lead the way in putting a Proposition on California's November 2028 Ballot to repeal the legalization of betting on live horse racing from our State Constitution, first added in 1933. We call upon you to start this process soon, so that the Legislature can vote to do this by June 2028. THANK YOU
It's just practical business to plan an exit from U.S. Horse Racing, with Wagering down 57% since 2003 adjusted for inflation; and at least 51 tracks closed since 2000, 31 of them since 2013. There are currently 3 racetracks operating in California, down from 9 in 2024. Golden Gate Fields is being added to State parkland along the San Francisco Bay and the Cal-Expo racetrack is being replaced by a football stadium for the CSU Sacramento Hornets.
Per the Jockey Club’s 2026 Fact Book for California, from 2000 to 2025: the # of Races dropped 67%, Racing Starts dropped 67.6%, and Race Days dropped 64.5%.
In 2025, California's Horse Racing wagering handle was $3 Billion, compared to California's Gross Domestic Product of $4.5 Trillion.
From the 2026 Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit at Keeneland (X post):
“The fundamental objective of all of this work in the EID (Equine Injury Database) is to identify risk factors and then provide evidence for likely effective interventions in the industry all aimed at reducing injury prevalence and improving welfare,” said Dr. Tim Parkin, Head of Bristol Veterinary School – University of Bristol. “It is an enormous success story: 47% reduction in risks since 2009 in 2025."
BUT: per the 2026 Jockey Club Fact Book, the number of U.S. Horse Racing starts declined 44.6% for the period during which a "47% reduction in risks" is claimed -- proving that the best way to reduce racehorse injury and death is to NOT RACE.
It's time to take the horses out of the horse racing industry's misery and repeal the legalization of betting on live horse races from our State Constitution added over 100 years ago.
This would be consistent with California’s leadership to ban cruel industries, likw the manufacture and sale of fur products, the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits, the use of wild species in circuses, and animal testing of cosmetic and personal care items. These industries all have employees, yet Californians have acted to end them in our state due to the cruelty to animals inherent in these industries. The employees, contractors and vendors in these industries will migrate to other industries just as those in past defunct industries have.
President Pro Tem Limon and Speaker Rivas, please lead the way in putting a Proposition on California's November 2028 Ballot to repeal the legalization of betting on live horse racing from our State Constitution, first added in 1933. We call upon you to start this process soon, so that the Legislature can vote to do this by June 2028. THANK YOU
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The Issue
President Pro Tem Limon and Speaker Rivas, please lead the way in putting a Proposition on California's November 2028 Ballot to repeal the legalization of betting on live horse racing from our State Constitution, first added in 1933. We call upon you to start this process soon, so that the Legislature can vote to do this by June 2028. THANK YOU
It's just practical business to plan an exit from U.S. Horse Racing, with Wagering down 57% since 2003 adjusted for inflation; and at least 51 tracks closed since 2000, 31 of them since 2013. There are currently 3 racetracks operating in California, down from 9 in 2024. Golden Gate Fields is being added to State parkland along the San Francisco Bay and the Cal-Expo racetrack is being replaced by a football stadium for the CSU Sacramento Hornets.
Per the Jockey Club’s 2026 Fact Book for California, from 2000 to 2025: the # of Races dropped 67%, Racing Starts dropped 67.6%, and Race Days dropped 64.5%.
In 2025, California's Horse Racing wagering handle was $3 Billion, compared to California's Gross Domestic Product of $4.5 Trillion.
From the 2026 Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit at Keeneland (X post):
“The fundamental objective of all of this work in the EID (Equine Injury Database) is to identify risk factors and then provide evidence for likely effective interventions in the industry all aimed at reducing injury prevalence and improving welfare,” said Dr. Tim Parkin, Head of Bristol Veterinary School – University of Bristol. “It is an enormous success story: 47% reduction in risks since 2009 in 2025."
BUT: per the 2026 Jockey Club Fact Book, the number of U.S. Horse Racing starts declined 44.6% for the period during which a "47% reduction in risks" is claimed -- proving that the best way to reduce racehorse injury and death is to NOT RACE.
It's time to take the horses out of the horse racing industry's misery and repeal the legalization of betting on live horse races from our State Constitution added over 100 years ago.
This would be consistent with California’s leadership to ban cruel industries, likw the manufacture and sale of fur products, the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits, the use of wild species in circuses, and animal testing of cosmetic and personal care items. These industries all have employees, yet Californians have acted to end them in our state due to the cruelty to animals inherent in these industries. The employees, contractors and vendors in these industries will migrate to other industries just as those in past defunct industries have.
President Pro Tem Limon and Speaker Rivas, please lead the way in putting a Proposition on California's November 2028 Ballot to repeal the legalization of betting on live horse racing from our State Constitution, first added in 1933. We call upon you to start this process soon, so that the Legislature can vote to do this by June 2028. THANK YOU
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Petition created on July 2, 2026