I recently visited California and attended a Gala in support of Proposition 2, which was hosted by Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi. The event featured moving performances by Carol King and Moby and raised funds to help air television commercials in California in support of Proposition 2.

Proposition 2 is the most significant effort ever undertaken in the U.S. to protect farm animals from intolerable abuse. It seeks to ban three cruel confinement systems:  veal crates, gestation crates and battery cages, and if successful, will lessen the suffering of 20 million animals. California is the largest agricultural state in the U.S., and it is the sixth largest egg producing state. Enacting Prop 2 will send ripples across the nation and help codify the fundamental principle that all animals (including those exploited in agriculture) deserve to be treated with respect.

I was deeply moved to see so much enthusiasm for Prop 2 among animal advocates in California. But factory farm corporations across the country are raising millions to try and defeat this basic humane measure. We don’t have their resources, but it’s critical that we do whatever we can to advance this crucial effort.