A UC Berkeley senior who's already worn an ankle monitor for nearly two years while earning her degree in social movement strategy now faces up to five years in prison for what she calls a rescue—and prosecutors call theft. The case of Zoe Rosenberg has become a lightning rod in an escalating battle between animal rights activists and agricultural interests across Sonoma County.
Rosenberg, an organizer for the Berkeley-based advocacy group Direct Action Everywhere, visited Petaluma Poultry without authorization four times between April and June 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Sonoma County District Attorney's office. During those visits, prosecutors say she attached GPS devices to 12 different farm delivery vehicles at the facility on Lakeville Highway, according to The Press Democrat.
The Night That Changed Everything
The pivotal incident occurred in the early morning hours of June 13, 2023, when activists dressed in garb similar to that of employees intercepted trucks delivering chickens to the Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse, The Press Democrat reported. Rosenberg allegedly entered the farm without permission, took chickens off of a trailer and removed them from the property, according to KQED. The entire rescue was recorded by fellow activists and later shared with media outlets.
"I did what I think most people would've done if faced with such suffering: I acted to stop it, to get them help," Rosenberg said in a statement to The Press Democrat. She named the four chickens Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea, claiming they were covered in scratches and bruises and infested with Coccidia parasites, according to Petaluma News.
A Legal Strategy Stripped Away
Rosenberg's defense team planned to argue her actions were justified under California's necessity defense, which allows illegal actions when taken to prevent greater harm. However, Judge Gnoss ruled in June that a central tenet of her case would not be allowed, barring her use of the necessity defense, The Press Democrat reported. "It's not a whodunit, it's really a whydunit," said Chris Carraway, Rosenberg's lawyer, to KQED.
The legal hurdle represents a significant shift in how prosecutors are approaching animal activist cases. Past cases against DxE activists had often involved theft or burglary charges based on allegedly stolen animal property, but Sonoma County prosecutors have increasingly relied on trespassing and conspiracy charges instead, according to The Intercept.
A Pattern of Confrontation
This isn't Direct Action Everywhere's first rodeo in Sonoma County courtrooms. In 2023, co-founder Wayne Hsiung was sentenced to two years of probation and 90 days in county jail after being convicted of felony conspiracy tied to farm protests in 2018 and 2019, KQED reported. The organization has been responsible for more than 130 DxE activists being arrested in Sonoma County since 2018, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The activist group was also behind Measure J, the controversial 2024 ballot measure that sought to ban large animal farms in Sonoma County. Voters rejected it overwhelmingly, with 85% voting against it, KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Billboard Campaign Draws Attention
DxE has rallied behind her, promoting her defense on a billboard along Highway 101 in Petaluma that asked whether Rosenberg should go to prison for what the group characterized as rescuing a chicken, The Press Democrat reported. A judge rejected the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office's attempt to remove the highway billboard over concern it could influence potential jurors, according to the same publication.
The Corporate Response
Petaluma Poultry, a division of Maryland-based agribusiness giant Perdue Farms, markets its chicken under the popular "Rocky" and "Rosie" brands as free-range and organic. The company declined interview requests for recent coverage, but Perdue Chief Human Resources Officer Julie Katigan has stated the company strongly opposes the extreme tactics used by Direct Action Everywhere, according to KQED.
The company has taken increasingly aggressive legal action against the activists. In April 2025, Petaluma Poultry filed a complaint for injunctive relief after DxE allegedly deployed "alarming, and illegal, tactics against an associate and his family at their private residence," according to Perdue Farms.
Industry Pushback Intensifies
The agricultural community has mounted a coordinated response to what they view as escalating harassment. This week, Sonoma County Family Farmers Alliance circulated a petition asking residents to pledge support for the local animal agriculture community as it's "under attack from extreme activists," The Press Democrat reported. The mailer doesn't reference DxE by name but includes a line that "extremists from Berkeley don't speak for us."
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, called Rosenberg's actions "a terrorist act" in comments to the San Francisco Chronicle. Mike Weber, who co-owns a chicken farm in Petaluma that was targeted by Direct Action Everywhere in 2018, said activists' actions go far beyond animal welfare. "Having to deal with a bunch of activists that are trying to break into your operation, are putting tracking devices on farm vehicles so they can see where the farm vehicles are — that goes beyond the line," he told KQED.
A Connected Campaign
The prosecution of Rosenberg comes amid a broader campaign by Direct Action Everywhere that has extended far beyond Sonoma County. In July, activists superglued themselves to Trader Joe's chicken cases in Southern California, protesting the grocery chain's relationship with Petaluma Poultry. The grocery chain responded by filing a complaint alleging that DxE members have been threatening customers and removing items from shopping baskets.
Legal Implications and Precedent
The case represents a potential watershed moment for animal rights activism in California. Experts believe no jurisdiction in the country has prosecuted more animal rights activists than Sonoma County, where agriculture remains an important part of the economy and farmers have long felt targeted by highly visible protests, according to The Intercept.
The charges against Rosenberg include five felony counts of conspiracy and three misdemeanors, though charges evolved since her arrest, with several conspiracy counts being dismissed, The Press Democrat reported. Her attorney pointed out the irony: "Had Ms. Rosenberg taken four dead chickens from a supermarket meat case, I cannot imagine her facing such hefty charges and steep penalties, nor being surveilled for two years," he told The Press Democrat.
Personal Stakes
For Rosenberg, the case has dominated her final years at UC Berkeley. "It's definitely been overwhelming," said Rosenberg, a UC Berkeley senior. "There's been days where I've had to miss class to drive to Santa Rosa and spend all day in a courtroom," she told KQED. She has been forced to wear an ankle monitor since her arrest in November 2023, though she planned to bedazzle it in Cal colors for graduation, according to KCRA.
The 23-year-old activist co-founded the Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary and has a history of high-profile protests. At 16, she was arrested on live national television at the 2019 NCAA Football Championship Game for protesting the facility's ties to a poultry producer, according to Patch.
As the trial unfolds this week, the outcome could set important precedents for how California courts balance animal welfare concerns against property rights and agricultural interests. For Rosenberg, who maintains the chickens are now "safe and happy at an animal sanctuary," the stakes couldn't be higher—both personally and for the broader movement she represents.
