"This proposal doesn't just threaten my business; it threatens hundreds of horses and the families who care for them," Flippo said. "If horses are pushed out of agriculture zoning, they could be displaced into unsafe living situations and an important part of our rural heritage will be lost."
""Whether they want to say that they're pets or not, they're going directly against state and U.S. codes that define horses as livestock," Flippo said. "It shines a bad light on our county that they are trying to do this. It really would set a bad precedent, I think, for the rest of the counties in California."
"Agricultural classification provides tax exemptions that horse operations rely on. Without agricultural status, existing stables could face costly compliance requirements or closure. Flippo estimates about 1,500 horses could be displaced if the amendments proceed as drafted."
""This proposal doesn't just threaten my business; it threatens hundreds of horses and the families who care for them," Flippo said."
Draft Rural Zoning Amendments would exclude equine operations from agricultural classification by removing horses from the livestock designation. County staff describe the amendments as a modernization effort to establish building limits and require mitigation when farmland is converted to non-agricultural uses. Horse owners warn that losing agricultural status would eliminate tax exemptions, impose costly compliance requirements on existing stables, and could force closures. Local boarding operators estimate roughly 1,500 horses could be displaced, potentially into unsafe living situations. Horse owners also contend that excluding horses contradicts state and federal codes that define horses as livestock and could set a precedent.
Read at San Jose Inside
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