Salinas columnist advises county to query UCCE

A new land-use ordinance under consideration in Monterey County would regulate roosters, which apparently annoy homeowners who are roused at the crack of dawn by the the birds' crowing, according to an op-ed piece in the Salinas Californian over the weekend. The column, by the executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau Bob Perkins, admonishes county staff to seek input from its own agencies, including UC Cooperative Extension, before proposing such restrictions.

Perkins wrote that residents who complained about noisy roosters are actually upset because they believe their neighbors are raising roosters for cockfighting. However, 4-H leaders and folks who breed exotic and game birds say that the proposed restrictions, permits and fees would prevent them from raising birds.

"The county has three valuable tools to analyze agriculture-related matters: the Office of the Agricultural Commissioner, University of California Cooperative Extension and an Agricultural Advisory Committee. All of them should be asked to comment on any agriculture-related issue as a matter of routine," the column said. ". . . The county should rely on the experts in its departments to analyze problems like this and to recommend measured, effective remedies."

The county planning commission rejected the proposed land-use ordinance on April 9, suggesting that other laws, such as a noise ordinance, can be used to find a solution to the problem.

4-H member with a chicken.

Read more