In Norco, bill to require horse poop pickup really stinks

Horses — and the manure they produce — are a big deal in Norco.

So it’s no surprise that residents and leaders of Horsetown, USA are concerned about a new bill that would allow California cities and counties to require equestrians to pick up their horses’ excrement on streets and sidewalks. Horse owners and others in the city with a focus on the equestrian lifestyle worry about how the rule would affect their lives and argue that horse manure is good for nature.

The state Assembly bill was introduced earlier this year by northern California Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City. “Our frustration is that people that do not live our lifestyle are making rules for us, and they don’t understand or care about our lifestyle,” said Bonnie Slager, president of the Norco Horsemen’s Association, a nonprofit organization on a mission to preserve Norco’s horse lifestyle. “We don’t feel like that lifestyle is being embraced by people in Sacramento creating these bills.”

Assembly Bill 233 would give cities and counties the authority to put restrictions on horse riders and require the person responsible for a horse to collect and dispose of excrement deposited by that horse on streets or sidewalks. Specifics on how they would need to pick up feces would be determined by respective communities.

Introduced Jan. 12, the bill originated from an issue faced by Wilson during her time as a local leader in Suisun City, which is near Sacramento. She was unable to prohibit horses from traveling around school areas, leading to children playing with manure, Wilson said recently by phone. Currently, the law doesn’t require horse riders to pick up after their horses, because the animal is afforded the same rights as a vehicle, Wilson said by phone. Because of this, cities cannot take action. However, Wilson emphasized that the bill would not require or force cities to make such regulations.

“This is an issue in my city and as a legislator, it’s my responsibility to vote for legislation that I think benefits my district,” Wilson said. “If a community feels it is not needed, then they can deny the bill, but right now they can’t go through the public process because the language in our current legislation doesn’t allow that.” In Norco, whose leaders sent an official opposition letter to Wilson, opponents believe it would give local governments more control of their lifestyle and deter horse ownership.

“We’re encouraging people to build a community, whether they’re walking together, jogging or riding their horses,” Norco Mayor Robin Grundmeyer said. “It fosters a sense of community and people being able to come together for horseback riding, and it just doesn’t need another aspect of government regulation.” Grundmeyer made clear her city’s opposition to the Jan. 31 letter.

“Horse manure is not a nuisance to be solved — it’s a minor inconvenience that comes with having these beautiful, working animals throughout our community,” Grundmeyer wrote. “We will continue to actively oppose unnecessary regulations like AB 233 to protect cherished lifestyles like ours throughout the State of California.”

Also opposed to the bill is Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli, who represents the 63rd Assembly District in western Riverside County, said by phone, “It’s not practical to have horse owners carry all this extra gear with them. We have more things to worry about than horse manure.” Norco City Councilmember Kevin Bash said he is concerned about two things. First, even if Norco doesn’t adopt the regulations, neighboring counties and cities may choose to impose the limits on riders. His second concern is that it’s not simple to get off horses to pick up horse excrement. “The problem is in the county and state land, where people ride all the time, riders can’t just get a bag and carry the bag around,” he said, adding that alternatively, it would be silly to put diapers on horses.

Echoing the concerns of Norco officials is the 79-year-old Slager. Slager owns about 3 acres and 11 horses, whom she has to clean up after three times a day. For Slager, getting off a horse while on a ride to pick up manure requires more strength than she can muster. “I will be 80 this year, and it’s a little harder to get off and on as you get older,” Slager said. “The reality is that requiring riders to get off with some kind of bag is going to be a challenge for anybody.”

In response to the bill, Slager expressed frustration and suggested that anybody supporting the bill should visit Norco and see firsthand the difficulty of getting off and on a horse. The bill is in the early stages of the legislative process, going through the Committee on Local Government. Alexis Williams, Wilson’s legislative assistant, said in an email that a hearing date on AB 233 has not yet been set.

Wilson said she doesn’t want to ruin horse culture but to add public conversation on whether a city wants horses to be allowed to defecate on sidewalks and streets. We regularly have horses pass through our community, which is a beautiful and wonderful thing, but my particular area had a problem with children and the manure,” Wilson said. “I love the local public process and I think if people want to oppose the bill, because they have strong opinions about it, I’m open to that.”