Lemon Grove voters are deciding whether to bar pet stores from selling commercially bred birds, a measure that has pushed the owner of one longtime local bird shop to the brink of leaving town. Measure E would extend the city's existing rescue-only pet sales restriction, currently covering dogs, cats and rabbits, to birds as well, requiring pet stores to source their birds only from animal shelters, humane societies or nonprofit rescue organizations.
The measure appeared on the official November 3, 2026 San Diego County gubernatorial general election ballot, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. As CBS 8 reported, the initiative qualified for the ballot after organizers gathered 2,135 verified petition signatures, well above the 1,669 required, and the Lemon Grove City Council voted 3-2 in May to place it before voters. Lemon Grove currently allows private bird breeding, and the measure targets pet-store sales specifically rather than breeding itself.
What the Measure Would and Wouldn't Cover
Under Measure E, covered pet stores would generally be limited to birds obtained from shelters, humane societies or qualifying nonprofit rescues. The measure would still allow adoption partnerships, letting pet stores provide space and care for birds owned by an animal shelter, humane society or nonprofit rescue organization for purposes of adoption, according to California Choices.
The restriction would not touch poultry raised for agricultural or backyard flock purposes, including chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, the same source notes. The approach mirrors California's AB 485, which since 2019 has prohibited pet-store operators from selling live dogs, cats or rabbits unless the animals came from a public animal control agency, humane society shelter or qualifying rescue group, per California Legislative Information. If voters approve Measure E, the restriction would take effect once election results are certified.
Mayor and Humane Society Line Up Behind the Ban
Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow supports Measure E, saying the change would extend existing state protections for dogs, cats and rabbits to birds and encourage adoption, per the CBS 8 report. Snow also reported a 12% increase in birds returned to shelters.
The San Diego Humane Society is backing the measure too. Gary Weitzman, the organization's president and CEO, authored the official ballot argument in favor of Measure E, and the Humane Society has said the measure would end pet-store sales of commercially sourced companion birds in Lemon Grove while still allowing adoption partnerships with shelters, humane societies and nonprofit rescues. The organization frames its support around the complexity of bird care, noting that birds have complex care needs and many species can live for decades, according to the station's report.
A Bird Shop Owner Threatens to Leave Lemon Grove
Not everyone welcomes the change. Vincent Peppard, who owns Tropic Island Bird & Supply, opposes Measure E and believes it would ruin his business. The shop has operated at 7919-7923 Broadway in Lemon Grove, per its own company website, which also states the business has sold and shipped birds across the United States since 2012.
Peppard has argued that the ban would simply push bird demand underground rather than end it, and he told CBS 8 that Lemon Grove would lose sales tax revenue if his shop relocates. Tropic Island Bird & Supply has already stopped renovations on its space, and Peppard plans to relocate the shop to Ocean Beach because of Measure E, expecting customers to follow him there.
Part of a Broader Pattern in California
The Lemon Grove fight echoes a wider trend of California cities tightening rules around commercially bred pet sales. The San Diego Union-Tribune has described Measure E as extending the state's existing rescue-only pet store policies for dogs, cats and rabbits to include birds like parrots, parakeets and doves. California's original rescue-only law for dogs, cats and rabbits was reported by the New York Times in 2019 as requiring pet stores to sell only rescue animals statewide.
The outcome of the November 3 vote will determine whether Lemon Grove becomes the latest California city to apply that rescue-only model to birds, and whether Tropic Island Bird & Supply remains on Broadway or moves on to Ocean Beach.
