Perez v. Cnty. of Monterey
Perez v. Cnty. of Monterey
Opinion of the Court
*260Plaintiffs Heriberto Perez and Miguel Angel Reyes Robles appeal a defense *687judgment in their action for declaratory relief against the County of Monterey. Plaintiffs sought to invalidate as unconstitutional a county ordinance limiting the number of roosters that can be kept on a property without a permit. We agree with the trial court that the ordinance does not violate the Constitution and will therefore affirm the judgment.
The challenged ordinance provides that no one may keep more than four roosters on a single property without a rooster keeping operation permit. (Monterey County Ordinance No. 5249 added Chapter 8.50 to Title 8 of the Monterey County Code; unspecified citations are to this code.) A permit can be obtained by application to the county Animal Control Officer. (§ 8.50.040(A).) The application must include a plan describing the "method and frequency of manure and other solid waste removal," and "such other information that the Animal Control Officer may deem necessary to decide on the issuance of the permit." (§ 8.50.040(C)(3)-(4).) A permit cannot be issued to anyone who has a criminal conviction for illegal cockfighting or other crime of animal cruelty. (§ 8.50.060(F)(1).) And permitted rooster keeping operations *261must comply with certain minimum standards, such as maintaining structurally sound pens that protect roosters from cold and are properly cleaned and ventilated. (§§ 8.50.080(B), 8.50.090(C)(1)(a)-(b).) The ordinance includes four exemptions from the permit requirement: for poultry operations (defined as raising more than 200 fowl for the primary purpose of producing eggs or meat for sale); poultry hobbyists (a member of a recognized organization that promotes the breeding of poultry for show or sale); minors who keep roosters for an educational purpose; and minors who keep roosters for a Future Farmers of America project or 4-H project. (§§ 8.04.010, 8.50.110.)
Plaintiffs sued to challenge the validity of the rooster keeping ordinance, seeking a declaratory judgment that the law is unconstitutional. The complaint also alleged causes of action for damages based on civil rights violations, but plaintiffs agreed to limit the scope of their suit to the issue of whether the ordinance is valid on its face. Accordingly, no evidence was introduced at trial other than the text of the ordinance and some related legislative documents. The trial court found that the ordinance does not violate the constitution and entered judgment for the County.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
"A facial challenge to the constitutional validity of a statute or ordinance considers only the text of the measure itself, not its application to the particular circumstances of an individual." ( Tobe v. City of Santa Ana (1995)
CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES
Plaintiffs challenge the ordinance on a variety of constitutional grounds. They argue it (1) takes property without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution; (2) infringes on Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce; (3) violates the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; (4) is a prohibited bill of attainder;
*688and (5) violates the rights to privacy and to possess property guaranteed by the California Constitution. As we will explain, the arguments lack merit.
*2621. Fifth Amendment Taking
The Fifth Amendment prohibits the government from taking private property for public use without paying the owner fair compensation. ( Palazzolo v. Rhode Island (2001)
Plaintiffs allege in their complaint that the rooster keeping ordinance is a regulatory taking, one that deprives them of all beneficial use of their property. The complaint expressly frames the taking claim as an "as applied" challenge: it alleges that the way the ordinance applies to plaintiffs' property results in a regulatory taking in violation of the Fifth Amendment. When plaintiffs agreed to limit the scope of the issues tried to solely whether the ordinance is valid on its face (and accordingly did not present evidence of how the ordinance affected them) it was fatal to their regulatory taking challenge. That is because a regulatory taking claim--in contrast to a physical occupation or direct appropriation of property--requires evidence of how the regulation affects the property in question. As the Supreme Court has instructed, determining whether a statute constitutes a regulatory taking requires "an 'ad hoc' factual inquiry," necessitating the consideration of "factors such as the economic impact of the regulation, its interference with reasonable investment-backed expectations, and the character of the government action." ( Horne , supra , --- U.S. ----,
There is also no evidence regarding whether either plaintiff is eligible for a rooster keeping permit, has been granted or denied one, or has even applied for one. The extent to which the ordinance affects plaintiffs depends on whether they have a rooster keeping permit. Without evidence on that point, we are further unable to determine whether a regulatory taking has occurred. (See Williamson County Regional Planning Comm'n v. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City (1985)
2. Interstate Commerce
The Commerce Clause gives Congress the power to regulate commerce between the States. ( U.S. Const., art. I, § 8, cl. 3.) " 'This affirmative grant of authority to Congress also encompasses an implicit or "dormant" limitation on the authority of the States to enact legislation *689affecting interstate commerce.' " ( Ferguson v. Friendfinders, Inc. (2002)
Plaintiffs assert the rooster keeping ordinance imposes a burden on interstate commerce. The burden, as they describe it, is that, "The ordinance forces rooster owners to immediately divest themselves [ ] of all but four of their roosters .... A major portion of the roosters[ ] sold will likely be interstate commerce." To begin with, plaintiffs do not accurately characterize what the ordinance requires--it does not force all rooster owners to "immediately divest" themselves of all but four roosters; it merely requires a permit to keep more than four roosters on a single property. Plaintiffs have provided no evidence to support their assertion that the ordinance will result in roosters being sold, nor have they provided evidence of how that would affect interstate commerce. Plaintiffs therefore are unable to show that the burden imposed on interstate commerce outweighs the benefits of the regulation, and their Commerce Clause challenge fails.
3. Equal Protection
"The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment commands that no State shall 'deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,' which is essentially a direction that all persons similarly situated should be treated alike." ( Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc. (1985)
In pressing their equal protection challenge, plaintiffs correctly observe that the ordinance treats people differently based on age. But they do not articulate how the differential treatment completely fails to advance a legitimate government purpose. The ordinance includes a statement of "findings and purpose" (§ 8.50.010), explaining that the County "desires to allow the keeping of roosters in a manner that addresses the treatment of roosters and environmental and health and safety impacts *690of keeping roosters, while discouraging the raising of roosters for illegal purposes[,]" and "recognizes that students legitimately raise roosters for 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and other educational projects[.]" (§ 8.50.010(F)-(G).) The ordinance therefore "serves the public health, safety and welfare by establishing a comprehensive approach to the keeping of five or more roosters that balances promotion of agriculture and agricultural education with prevention of operations that are unsanitary, inhumane, environmentally damaging, and potentially conducive of illegal conduct." (§ 8.050.010(J).) In our view, the County's stated objectives are legitimate and the exceptions for minors correspond rationally to achieving those ends. We therefore reject plaintiffs' equal protection challenge.
4. Bill of Attainder
Bills of attainder are prohibited by the United States Constitution. (U.S. Const., art. I, § 10.) A bill of attainder is an ancient practice once engaged in by the Parliament of England to punish without trial " 'specifically designated persons or groups.' " ( Selective Service v. Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (1984)
That the ordinance in question does not burden all people (only those who want to keep more than four roosters on a property) does not make it a bill of attainder. The ordinance prospectively regulates the keeping of roosters. It does not single out a person or group for punishment based on conduct predating its enactment. It is therefore not a bill of attainder.
5. Rights to Privacy and to Possess Property
Article I, section 1 of the California Constitution states: "All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy." Plaintiffs contend the ordinance violates both the right to privacy and to possess property. Regarding the right to privacy, we note it is not absolute. ( Jacob B. v. County of Shasta (2007)
Regarding the right to possess property, while property ownership rights are indeed constitutionally guaranteed, they "must be subordinated to the rights of society." ( People v. Byers (1979)
*266The judgment is affirmed. The parties shall bear their own costs on appeal.
WE CONCUR:
Greenwood, P. J.
Danner, J.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.