San Diego, CA
Judge adds protections for San Diego Rodeo animals at Petco Park
A San Diego judge issued a mixed ruling this week in an animal rights lawsuit concerning rodeos staged at Petco Park, finding that pregnant mares should no longer be allowed to compete and that onsite medical equipment must be adequate and “comprehensive” enough to provide care for the large animals.
The 21-page statement of decision issued Tuesday by San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil does not end the rodeos, which have been controversial. The judge noted that the purpose of the suit was to prohibit practices that “allegedly subject the animals to ‘needless suffering’ or ‘unnecessary cruelty.’”
Wohlfeil’s ruling comes after he presided over a bench trial earlier this month. Two animal rights groups had sued C5 Rodeo and the Padres, alleging unfair business practices. The groups pointed to what they said amounted to animal cruelty. Two horses were injured or died following performances at the events.
The judge said that he “largely agrees” with the defendants but found “a limited number of practices” needed to be changed or stopped.
Wohlfeil’s decision noted that between the 2024 and 2025 rodeos, the rodeo management team adjusted the rules to not permit the use of electric prods — which had drawn criticism — and also to bar the use of mares known to be pregnant.
“(H)owever, more can and should be done to minimize the risk of ‘needless suffering’ by or ‘unnecessary cruelty’ to the animals, while, at the same time, preserving the sanctity of the rodeo,” the judge wrote. “It is the balance that the court has strived to accomplish in this (statement of decision).”
He said the two plaintiff groups, Animal Protection Rescue League and Showing Animals Kindness and Respect, met their burden to show a need to address the use of pregnant mares — one died after performing in a 2025 rodeo — and to require the presence of adequate medical equipment, which was not on hand when a horse threw its rider and rammed into a fence in 2024, leaving the animal badly injured. The horse later died.
The judge’s decision also said C5 Rodeo and the Padres issued a “false” press release following the 2024 horse injury.
The parties are due back in court in March for the judge to hear objections, if any, to his decision.
Attorney Bryan Pease, who represented Animal Protection Rescue League and Showing Animals Kindness and Respect, said the judge’s decision was “a definite victory and benefit to the public” as well as for his clients.
“The specific cruelty that was exposed and that occurred at both the 2024 and the 2025 rodeos are going to be prohibited from happening again,” Pease said.
Pease also said it’s “not surprising that the court didn’t kind of go out on a limb and issue a broad sweeping injunction against typical rodeo practices.”
Attorney Michael Healy, who represents C5 Rodeo, said in an email: “We are pleased with the order where it reflects that ‘the Court largely agrees with Defendants’ and C5 Rodeo is grateful San Diegans will continue to have the opportunity to be exposed to rodeo, our western heritage, and ranching traditions.”
A Padres spokesperson declined comment, citing the still-active litigation.
The rodeos at Petco Park, which is largely owned by the city of San Diego, have been controversial, prompting not just litigation but protests from animal rights groups and calls to ban rodeos within the city limits.
Proponents of such events point to their competition, heritage and cultural traditions, and critics say the events can be cruel for the participating animals. An effort a few years ago from City Councilmember Kent Lee to place restrictions — such as banning calf roping, team roping and steer wrestling — failed to generate enough support among fellow council members.
The January 2024 rodeo at Petco Park was the first within the city limits since the 1980s. It has since been an annual event — and, coincidentally, the bench trial (only a judge, no jury) was held in the days leading up to a rodeo C5 staged at Petco in mid-January.
The statement of decision highlights two incidents. The first was in January 2024 when a horse named Waco Kid threw its rider and collided with a wall. It collapsed immediately and stayed down, unable to stand without help.
According to Wohlfeil, some witnesses knew the horse was seriously hurt, including an on-site veterinarian who saw the incident and assumed — correctly — that the animal had fractured its cervical spine. But the equipment on hand was too small to X-ray the horse.
The judge ordered the rodeo management team to provide veterinary care that includes “onsite competent, comprehensive medical equipment” that can “adequately x-ray, scan, diagnose and treat the livestock” regardless of the animal’s size.
“The cost to the rodeo seems to be a small price to pay to avoid a repeat of Waco Kid’s debacle,” he wrote.
Wohlfeil also pointed to a press release issued the day of the incident, which stated: “Initial exam performed by the Veterinarian team did not reveal any obvious signs of fracture or instability.”
The judge said the press release “was false and intended to mislead the public.” He also said it was issued to “minimize the public’s perception” of the horse’s injuries, “knowing, at the same time, that the chances of Waco Kid’s survival were ‘thin.’”
The second incident the judge pointed to was in January 2025, when a 17-year-old mare by the name of Pearl Necklace died shortly after competing in an event. A necropsy determined the mare’s likely cause of death was a ruptured uterus and/or uterine artery, and the horse “appears to have bled out internally,” according to evidence the judge pointed to in his decision.
The judge pushed back on the notion from some trial witnesses who said they either did not know Pearl Necklace was pregnant or was as far along as she was. Wohlfeil wrote that he watched a video of the horse performing at the rodeo, “and even from the Court’s untrained eye, Pearl Necklace was obviously pregnant.”
Wohlfeil found the mare’s death was “both foreseeable and preventable,” and that the mare was subjected to “needless suffering” or “unnecessary cruelty.”
He also said it was not enough for a mare’s owner to declare the horse is not pregnant, and ordered the burden to be on the rodeo management team to verify that no pregnant mares compete in the rodeo.
San Diego County opened its eighth crisis stabilization unit in El Cajon on Monday, providing the same short-term resource for East County residents that has helped relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments in communities to the north and south.
The newest facility replaces a former county assessor’s satellite office at South Magnolia and West Douglas avenues, near the city’s community center and library.
The El Cajon $28 million crisis unit has 12 recliners and a freshly renovated space for private consultation, accommodating residents in need of immediate mental health services for up to 24 hours.
Pioneered in a handful of local hospitals, the county began opening stand-alone crisis units in Vista and Oceanside in 2021 and 2022. The pair of locations were a direct response to Tri-City Medical Center closing its behavioral health unit and crisis center in 2018, citing the need for prohibitively expensive repairs and difficulties with staffing.
Another unit attached in Chula Vista, attached to Bayview Hospital, a behavioral health facility, opened in 2023 with an additional unit attached to the emergency department at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in March.
Nadia Privara-Brahms, the county’s behavioral health director, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning that the heavy investment in crisis centers has drastically reduced mental health care visits to local emergency departments. County data for the 2024-25 budget year estimates that 11,000 adults treated at crisis stabilization units were diverted from inpatient care and 14%, approximately 1,800, were connected to inpatient care.
“Countywide, we have seen that this model of care is working,” Privara-Brahms said. “Across the CSUs locally, we saw 85% of admissions diverted from inpatient care.”
County Supervisor Joel Anderson, whose district includes most of East County, kept the pressure on for a center to the east capable of delivering the same kind of results.
“Right now, many of these folks end up in our emergency rooms, and they’re getting great service at the highest cost,” Anderson said.
Emergency departments, he added, can only do so much to focus on providing mental health care when they must also treat the full range of other medical needs from heart attacks and strokes to broken bones and chronic disease.
“Here, we’re laser-focused on that mental health, and we’ll be able to turn people around, stabilize them, and send them home,” Anderson said.
A key innovation with stand-alone crisis units has been the ability of law enforcement officers and crisis response team members to deliver residents picked up on 5150 holds for evaluation, skipping emergency departments when a patient needs mental health care, but not other services. A 5150 hold occurs when a first responder suspects that a person may be a danger to themselves or others or gravely disabled.
Because all emergency departments must operate on a triage basis, continuously moving the most-critical cases to the front of the line regardless of how long those with less-immediate medical problems have been waiting, 5150 holds are notorious for their ability to take first responders off their beats for hours per incident.
The county’s data tracking system indicates that drop-offs at crisis units take 20 to 25 minutes, contributing significantly to getting law enforcement officers and crisis team members back in service much more quickly than was previously the case.
When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:
Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month
29
Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month
5/5–6/1
Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.
12–24
The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.
5/15–6/14
A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.
5/22–2/2027
Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month
4/30–5/3
Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.
2
Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.
7
Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.
15–17
Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.
PARTNER CONTENT
10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started
Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…
16
Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.
24
Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.
San Diego, CA
City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness
Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.
Located on 17th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.
“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.
Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.
“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.
Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.
But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.
“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.
In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”
Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.
However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.
“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.
Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.
He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.
“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.
The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.
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