On Monday, August 8, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) released a statement requiring licensure for media access to the stable areas at CHRB administered racetracks. The following day NTWAB President Tom Law submitted the following to CHRB executive director Scott Chaney and the members of CHRB.

Mr. Scott Chaney,

The National Turf Writers And Broadcasters vehemently opposes the Aug. 8, 2022 decision by the California Horse Racing Board to “require all individuals who enter the stable areas, including members of the news media, to obtain a CHRB license.”

Professional members of the news media do not fall under the California Code of Regulations 2022 Rules and Regulations Title 4, Division 4, Article 4 (Occupational Licenses), Rule 1481. Members of the news media are acting independently and not in the involvement of operation of a racetrack and/or care of racehorses.

Members of the news media, for decades, have been granted access to racetracks across the country through publicity departments and the Turf Publicists of America to conduct business without a license and/or required to pay a fee to do their jobs. The requirement by the CHRB for members of the news media to purchase a license sets an unnecessary and bad precedent for the racing industry besides the First Amendment implications of government licensing the free press. If media members needed to be licensed, the same logic could be twisted to say the CHRB then could discipline media members as well.

The NTWAB Board of Directors and its members strongly encourage the CHRB to reverse this decision and allow the news media to continue to operate independently and after the approval of racetrack management.

Sincerely,

Tom Law
President, National Turf Writers And Broadcasters


The original statement from CHRB

REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESS TO STABLE AREA

The California Horse Racing Board requires all individuals who enter the stable areas, including members of the news media, to obtain a CHRB license. Those who request infrequent access to the stable area will not need a license but must be signed in as a guest by the host racetrack. Non-CHRB media credentials are not sufficient for entry to the restricted stable area.

Historically, all news media have been screened and approved by each track’s publicity department. Those with legitimate business have been granted access to stable areas. This practice will continue for those who infrequently need access to stable areas. But those with a more regular presence in stable areas will need to acquire a CHRB “Z” (Other) license from one of the CHRB licensing offices. The fee for a Z license is $75, and depending on the applicant’s birth date, the license is good for two-to-three years. All applicants must be fingerprinted and are checked for California and nationwide criminal history. Individuals have until August 31 to come into compliance.