Gavin Newsom

California Governor Gavin Newsom has reappointed Brenda Davis to the California Horse Racing Board. Davis, who has served on the CHRB since 2020, has been Principal at the Brenda Davis Law Group since 2007. She was Managing Counsel at the California Farm Bureau Federation from 1999 to 2007 and was a Legislative Advocate and Negotiator in the Executive Office of the Attorney General at the California Department of Justice from 1996 to 1999. She is a member of the California State Bar, New Mexico State Bar, Mercy Foundation Board of...

California lawmakers Thursday passed legislation that means if Golden Gate Fields is not licensed to operate beyond July 1 next year, proceeds from simulcast wagering in the north are funneled south when there is no live racing in the northern half of the state after that date. The rule of thumb is that proceeds from wagers made in the "northern zone" stay in Northern California to pay for purses and operational expenses, while the proceeds from wagers made in the "southern zone" stay in Southern California for the same purposes....

California Senator Dianne Feinstein called on the California Horse Racing Board to conduct a "thorough, transparent and independent investigation" into the death of GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico) in a letter to CHRB Executive Director Scott Chaney sent from her office Monday. The letter reads: "As the California Horse Racing Board proceeds with the investigation into the jarring death of Medina Spirit, I urge you to ensure such efforts are thorough, transparent, and independent of any outside influence. Further, I ask that you provide my staff with regular...

by Armen Antonian, Ph.D. Horse racing is stuck: stuck in the winter of 2019. Stuck at my home track at Santa Anita. That Santa Anita winter meet saw 37 horses euthanized and the meet stopped for a time due to horse safety concerns. California Senator Dianne Feinstein admonished the track publicly and Governor Gavin Newsom called horse racing "archaic."  There was real fear among Santa Anita officials for the continuation of horse racing in California. The events at Santa Anita were a trauma that reverberated around the U.S. racing world....

The Stronach Group issued a statement Wednesday in response to comments from a spokesman for California Governor Gavin Newsom published in a Monday New York Times story entitled 3 Horses Die in 3 Days at Santa Anita, Prompting Fresh Criticism of Racetrack. In an email to the Times, Newsom's press secretary Jesse Melgar said: "While the California Horse Racing Board and Santa Anita have made progress in reducing equine fatalities over the past year and C.H.R.B. has made recommendations to further improve horse safety, Governor Newsom remains concerned and believes...

A small group of protestors and the news media were back in force at Santa Anita Sunday after Tikkun Olam (Temple City) collided with another horse on the training track and was euthanized. It was the third equine fatality in as many days at the track. Tikkun Olam's fatal injury followed breakdowns by Harliss (Midshipman) Friday and Uncontainable (Acclamation) Saturday, respectively--both of which were on the turf--and prompted the strongest denunciation yet from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Three dead horses in three days requires immediate action," PETA...