Culver City Chucks Out Second Set of Chickens

For the second time in two weeks, the Culver City council has denied a family’s request to keep pet chickens after neighbors complained that the fowl are noisy and attract rodents.

The council Monday refused to grant a permit to Michael and Rose-Marie Gamboa of 4119 Albright Ave. although the couple said they had gotten rid of two birds that a neighbor claimed were roosters.

Karen Avines, who owns a house next door to the Gamboas, complained to the city last July about the fowl, which are not allowed without a city permit. She had also complained about four pet chickens that neighbors James and Kay Petitte owned. The council denied teh Pettites’ request to keep the fowl on Sept. 8.

Avines told the council Monday that not only did the Gamboas’ chicken feed attract rodents to her yard, but that two of the fowl were roosters that crowed at dawn and woke her up.

Rose-Marie Gamboa told the council that the rodents in the neighborhood are attracted by avocado trees, not chicken feed. She said the pets are hens and make noise only when they lay an egg. Michael Gamboa showed the council eggs as evidence that the birds are female.

Though still denying that any of the pets were roosters, Michael Gamboa said the family gave away the two that it believed were the noisiest. They had bought the chickens for their two young sons about six months ago.

The Gamboas said the county Department of Health Services and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had approved of how they were raising the birds. They produced a petition signed by 50 neighbors who did not object to the fowl.

Under city law, the Gamboas were required to obtain council approval to keep their pets because the city received complaints from Avines and her mother, Mabel C. Notagiacomo.

Mayor Paul A. Netzel and Councilmen Richard Brundo and Paul A. Jacobs voted against granting the permit; Richard M. Alexander and Jozelle Smith voted for it.