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Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 17:07:35 PM PDT
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In my latest efforts to get my city to legalize backyard chickens, I've now heard from all four members of City Council plus the Mayor. I've previously posted two responses here - one asking for the downsides to urban chickens and one asking for model policies from other cities. The other three emails arrived after I posted that. Most notably, I received the following two emails from the Mayor, who is clearly anti-chicken:
Ms. Richardson, since I've been out of town for the past three weeks, I only had an opportunity to review your e-mail today, 6/16, and want to correct a misunderstanding you may have with the council decision at our December 8 meeting regarding your request. I am quoting from those minutes wherein [the city planner] spoke regarding your request and he explained the process and costs involved with a zoning ordinance amendment to allow for chickens, hens, in residential zones and he said staff recommended the council table the request and not initiate a zoning ordinance amendment at this time. Council discussion ensued and voted 5/0 to approve staff recommendation.
When an item is "tabled" it is tantamount to denying any further discussion or action. No mention was made to bring the item up in the latter part of 2010 as you indicate. The city is currently going through a general plan amendment, and this item could be discussed when the recommendations are made, but it is not scheduled to be completed in 2010 and there is no certainty that this specific amendment will be included.
And his second email:
Ms. Richardson, although I had almost completed responding to your 6/8/10 e mail, I pressed the send button before completing my response. I just wanted to conclude by saying that farm animals in a highly urbanized community are not compatible with homes that have small yards and where houses are clustered so close to each other.
The rest of the email exchange is below. |
| Jill Richardson :: The Chicken Project: The City is Stalling |
I replied, twice. To the first email, I wrote:
Thanks for your clarification. In that case, I will continue to advocate for the legalization of urban chicken keeping. A number of city residents have contacted me in the wake of the December decision made by the city council and I've provided them with the email addresses of members of city government as well as the city council meeting schedule. Some of those who contacted me already have chickens and were surprised to learn that they were illegal. Others were interested in getting them. This is a current issue in many cities across the U.S., not just here, as more and more people discover the benefits of backyard chickens and then find out that they are not allowed to legally have chickens. As I've noted before, a large number of US cities allow chickens, and many of those policies are relatively new.
Then I responded to the second email:
I agree with you that keeping MOST farm animals in an urban setting is a bad idea. A cow, for example, would make no sense in a small yard on an urban lot. Roosters are noisy, as are guineas. Pigs are large and produce a LOT of waste. But I disagree with you about chickens. They are quiet, small, and produce very little waste. They present less of a health risk or a nuisance in an urban setting than even a dog or a cat.
The other two responses I received were less notable. One was a short but kind note from a city council member who is out of town with his sick father. The last was stating that the decision was to table the matter and there's nothing that could be done. I found that response frustrating, as the city council clearly CAN do something and simply does not want to at this time. And the two members of City Council who are up for re-election are meeting about this with the city planner to discuss it, which means they ARE doing something about it.
I think my next step might be a petition. If it weren't for the fact that my boyfriend was running for city council, I would dress up in a chicken suit and attend every city council meeting wearing it, presenting rubber chickens to the members of city council. And yes, I understand that that is a ridiculous and not quite socially acceptable thing to do, but it's an alternative to breaking the law by getting chickens illegally. Maybe I'll simply bring a chicken to a city council meeting. I'll see how my boyfriend feels about that. My biggest hesitation there is that it would be stressful for the chicken.
Previous installments of The Chicken Project:
Part 1: Initial Planning for Chickens
Part 2: Oops, it's not legal
Part 3: My public comment at City Council
Part 4: My letter to the city
Part 5: Bad News
Part 6: City Council Tables the Issue
Part 7: We Made the Local Paper!
Part 8: The San Diego Paper's Anti-Chicken Editorial
Part 9: San Diego Responds to the Union Tribune
Part 10: San Diego Paper Prints Our Letters
Part 11: We Foster Rescued Chickens
Part 12: Our Chickens Have a New Home
Part 13: Hope |
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