Big News! Lemon Grove, California Says “No” to Selling Birds in Pet Stores
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Lemon Grove is the first city in California to pass a ballot initiative prohibiting the sale of birds in pet stores.
On November 3, 2026, Lemon Grove voters resoundingly approved Measure E, a citizen-led ballot initiative banning the retail sale of birds. Under the new ordinance, pet stores may only offer birds for adoption from animal shelters, animal control agencies, humane societies, or nonprofit rescue organizations. Measure E passed with [65]% of the vote.
The campaign was led by Amit Dhuleshia and Strategic Action for Animals (SXFA), with financial and strategic support from World Animal Protection. SXFA collected thousands of signatures from valid registered voters in support of the initiative. The group spoke to countless Lemon Grove residents, hung thousands of door hangers, and secured key endorsements from the San Diego County Democratic Party and the Green Party. It was endorsed by the San Diego Humane Society, the Parrot Education & Adoption Center (PEAC), Saving Animals & Healing Hearts, Moose's Flock Pigeon and Dove Sanctuary.
Congratulations to Amit and SXFA for this critical victory!
Ballot Measures Are a Powerful Tool to Help Animals
Instead of passing the ordinance directly through the city council, Strategic Action for Animals used the ballot measure process to prohibit retail bird sales. A ballot measure is a law or topic placed on a statewide or municipal ballot where voters can vote for or against it.
California’s landmark farmed animal law, Prop 12, is another example of a ballot measure protecting animals. In 2018, California voters passed Proposition 12 which banned the sale of food products from farmed animals held in extreme confinement, specifically mother pigs, baby cows exploited for veal, and chickens exploited for their eggs.
Animals are Suffering in Pet Stores
Animals sold in pet stores endure extreme cruelty in breeding mills before being shipped off to pet stores. Many die during transportation, at the mill, or in stores. Animals like birds and reptiles are condemned to spend their entire lives in cages or tanks thousands of times smaller than their homes in the wild.
Help end the sale of animals in stores by working to pass a retail pet sales ban in your community.