It’s September 4th, 2022, in the middle of a heat wave. Mia Solina, an eight-year-old mare, rounds the final turn in a claiming race at Golden Gate Fields (GGF) when something goes terribly wrong and she pulls up lame. She’s injured her fetlock, a joint horses have located in a place comparable to a human’s ankle. Musculoskeletal injuries like this aren’t life-threatening, but to a racehorse like Mia, they’re a death sentence. She’s an investment. If she requires surgery and recovery, she can’t race, and if she can’t race, then she’s a drag on the bottom line. Mia is vanned off and “euthanized.”

My colleagues and I at Direct Action Everywhere SF Bay Area organize a memorial protest as we’ve done for years whenever a horse is killed at Golden Gate Fields, but I’m tired of making around two dozen cardboard tombstones per year and we know if we don’t intervene in some impactful way, the killings will continue indefinitely.

Our lead organizer Almira Tanner shares an idea that could shut down Golden Gate Fields, the Bay’s only sanctioned animal gambling operation, owned by Canadian gambling company, the Stronach Group. The facility is a “concentrated animal feeding operation” or “CAFO.” CAFO is an EPA term to identify animal operations that are particularly large and pose significant risks to the environment. If we can collect around 5,000 signatures by the end of 2023, we can get a CAFO ban on Berkeley’s November 2024 ballot so Berkeley voters can decide whether we want to allow these facilities. We draft the ballot petition and I submit the wording to the city for approval. We start collecting signatures in June and amass over 1,400 in the first week. I’m very excited, not just because this CAFO ban would require GGF to close within one year, but also because CAFOs in general, commonly referred to as “factory farms,” are a blight on our global environment. The ballot measure, later named Measure DD, would make Berkeley the first city to ban factory farms, setting a great example for areas like Sonoma County or the Central Valley that suffer more directly from factory farming.

Then, on July 16th, something unexpected happens. The Stronach Group announces that it will cease operations at Golden Gate Fields. Perhaps they saw the writing on the wall. Whatever their reasons, we continue our campaign to ensure that the land is never again used as a CAFO. 

“Do we have factory farms in Berkeley?” was a common response I got when collecting signatures. I explain that we want to prevent another animal gambling operation from opening up in Golden Gate Fields’ absence. Plus, Berkeley can be the first municipality to ban CAFOs and set a precedent that other places can follow.

Berkeley voters understood. They signed the petition, and this November, they voted yes. Measure DD passed with 62% “YES” votes, making history for animal and environmental protection.

Our global food system is a major factor in the ongoing climate crisis and it’s imperative that we do what we can to intervene instead of just standing by. 

I’m so grateful to the local leaders who endorsed Measure DD, like Jovanka Beckles, Kate Harrison and my favorite performing artist, Berkeley’s own Brandon McCartney aka Lil B the Basedgod who released F Golden Gate Fields last year and has been very outspoken in support of animals, the planet and humans over the years.

Thank you Berkeley for voting yes on Measure DD, making Berkeley the first city to prohibit factory farms.