California Horse Racing Board

Agency History

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) was established in 1933 as an independent agency. Its creation came as the result of a constitutional amendment that added Section 25a to Article IV of the Constitution of the State of California. The 1933 amendment required the creation of the CHRB and established its authority over the regulation of horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering at licensed California racetracks. The Constitutional Revision of 1966 replaced Section 25a with Section 19b of Article IV of the California Constitution. The CHRB's authority and enforcement practices are derived from the Business and Professions Code, Chapter 4, Division 8 known as the Horse Racing Law (Stats 1933, ch.436, sections 1-19 p.1127-1137).

The function of the CHRB is to oversee and regulate authorized California horse races that involve pari-mutuel betting and to protect the public from fraudulent operations. The Board does this by issuing occupational licenses to the horse owners, jockeys, grooms and veterinarians who work with the horses on race days and the parimutuel operators who collect the bets on race days. The CHRB has some enforcement capabilities. If any licensee commits an unlawful act, such as injecting a horse with a banned drug on race day that person can have their license revoked and be required to pay a fine. The Board also investigates complaints about licensees made by the general public at a race. To support this endeavor, the CHRB employs a division of field investigators who as California Peace Officers enforce and investigate such violations at member racetracks throughout the state.

Besides the field investigators, the CHRB also employs stewards who are in charge of the daily operations at racetracks. They are responsible for ensuring that horse trainers and jockeys are aware of race times, that violations of the CHRB and member racetracks' rules are not being committed, and that any violators are ejected from the tracks. The Board appoints the stewards to their positions.

The CHRB is made up of seven members who are appointed by the Governor and serve for a period of four years. Members are often well acquainted with horse racing in California. The CHRB also acts as a liaison with other states' horse racing boards or commissions and help facilitate off track pari-mutuel wagering with other racetracks out of state through satellite wagering. The CHRB also has several committees, which oversee the varied duties of the Board. One such committee, is the steward's committee, is made of stewards and Board members to act on complaints and concerns of the stewards

From the guide to the California Horse Racing Board Records, 1933-1995, (California State Archives)