California Legislature Blocks Bill to Study Grizzly Reintroduction

Lawmakers on Thursday killed Senate Bill 1305, a controversial initiative that sought to task the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a roadmap to determine whether reintroducing grizzly bears was practical and advisable. The proposal, introduced by Inglewood Democrat Laura Richardson, was voted down by the Assembly Appropriations Committee without public testimony. Committee chair Buffy Wicks emphasized the need to first address human-wildlife conflict, pointing to recent wolf reintroduction efforts that have resulted in cattle losses.

Historically, grizzlies once roamed much of the state, disappearing by the 1920s after systematic extermination. The bill had backing from two Native American tribes and several animal-welfare and environmental organizations, while ranchers, hunting associations and rural communities argued that California’s high human density makes coexistence with another top predator untenable. No funding was allocated for the study, leaving the issue for future legislative or external action.