Amended  IN  Senate  March 24, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 397

Introduced by Senator Jones Strickland

February 14, 2025

An act to amend Section 12001 of the Penal Code, relating to firearms. An act to amend Section 19533 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to horse racing.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 397, as amended, Jones Strickland. Firearms. Horse racing: thoroughbred racing.
Existing law authorizes the California Horse Racing Board to regulate horse racing and parimutuel wagering on horse races in California, and authorizes the board to set the standards for the types of races that may be run and the types of horses that may be run, within statutory guidelines. Existing law authorizes the board to grant licenses to an association other than a fair for only one type of racing, but provides an exception for the board to authorize thoroughbred and Appaloosa horses to enter in quarter horse races shorter than 5 furlongs at specified meetings, subject to specified conditions.
This bill would change the above-described exception to instead authorize thoroughbred and Appaloosa horses to enter in quarter horse races at any distance.
Existing law authorizes an association licensed to conduct quarter horse racing to apply to the board for, and requires the board to grant, authority to conduct thoroughbred racing as part of its racing program if specified conditions are met, including that the thoroughbred races are for a claiming price of not more than $5,000, and at a distance of 4.5 furlongs or less.
This bill would change the above-described condition to instead provide that the thoroughbred races are for a claiming price of not more than $6,000, at any distance.

Existing law generally regulates deadly weapons, including firearms, and defines the term “firearm” for this purpose.

This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to those provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 19533 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

19533.
 (a) Any A license granted to an association other than a fair shall be only for one type of racing, thoroughbred, harness, or quarter horse racing as the case may be, except that the board may authorize the entering of thoroughbred and Appaloosa horses in quarter horse races at a distance not exceeding five furlongs at quarter horse meetings, mixed breed meetings, and fair meetings. If the board authorizes the entering of thoroughbred or Appaloosa horses in quarter horse races, all of the following conditions shall be met:
(1) Any race written for participation by quarter horses, Appaloosas, and thoroughbreds shall be written as quarter horse preferred.
(2) The number of races written as quarter horse preferred at a distance exceeding 870 yards shall not exceed more than three races per program without the consent of the quarter horse horsemen’s organization contracting with the association.
(3) More than one-half of the races on any program shall be for quarter horses at a distance not to exceed 550 yards, unless the consent of the quarter horse horsemen’s organization is received.
(4) Mixed races with Appaloosa and quarter horses may only be written with the consent of the quarter horse horsemen’s organization contracting with the association.
(5) Thoroughbreds shall constitute less than half the number of horses in these races although an exception may be granted on a race-to-race basis with the consent of the quarter horse horsemen’s organization contracting with the association.
(b) The association that conducts the meeting shall pay to a thoroughbred trainers’ organization an amount for a pension plan for backstretch personnel to be administered by that trainers’ organization equivalent to 1 percent of the amount available to thoroughbred horses for purses. The remainder of the portion shall be distributed as purses. Any redistributable money paid to the board pursuant to Section 19641, which is paid to a welfare fund established by a horsemen’s organization from races with both thoroughbred and quarter horses, shall be divided pro rata between the two welfare funds based on the number of thoroughbreds and quarter horses in the race.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any an association licensed to conduct quarter horse racing may apply to the board for, and the board shall grant, authority to conduct thoroughbred racing as part of its racing program if all of the following conditions are met:
(A) The thoroughbred races are for a claiming price of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), and at a distance of four and one-half furlongs or less. six thousand dollars ($6,000). The races may shall not be stakes, allowance races, or maiden allowance races.
(B) More than one-half of the races on any program shall be for quarter horses at a distance not to exceed 550 yards, unless the consent of the quarter horse horsemen’s organization is received.
(C) The consent of the quarter horse horsemen’s organization contracting with the association is obtained with respect to the inclusion of thoroughbred racing.
(2) The quarter horse racing association conducting thoroughbred racing pursuant to this subdivision shall pay to a quarter horse horsemen’s organization the amount specified in subdivision (e) of Section 19613, and an amount for a pension plan for backstretch personnel to be administered by a thoroughbred trainers’ organization equivalent to 1 percent of the amount available to thoroughbred horses for purses. The remainder of the portion shall be distributed as purses. The quarter horse racing association shall also deduct the appropriate amount to comply with subdivision (a) of Section 19617.2 for distribution to the thoroughbred official registering agency.

SECTION 1.Section 12001 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
12001.

As used in this title, “firearm” has the same meaning as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 16520.