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<ns0:Id>20250SB__113598AMD</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-17</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-03-23</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:MeasureNum>1135</ns0:MeasureNum>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Blakespear</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Blakespear</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title>An act to add Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 2960) to Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to wildlife.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>wildlife</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>California Wildlife Coexistence Act.</ns0:Subject>
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<ns0:DigestText>
<html:p>Existing law establishes the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Natural Resources Agency. Under existing law, the department has jurisdiction over the conservation, protection, and management of fish, wildlife, native plants, and habitat necessary for biologically sustainable populations of those species.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the Wildlife Coexistence Program to manage and promote wildlife coexistence by conducting specified activities, including maintaining a statewide
wildlife incident reporting tool. The bill would rename the California Wolf-Livestock Compensation Pilot Program to the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program and would require the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the program to provide resources to eligible participants for purposes relating to wolves and livestock. The bill would authorize the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, including the cost for implementation, to provide resources to wildlife coexistence partners, as defined, to support efforts required for the Wildlife Coexistence Program and the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program. The bill would require the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the Wildlife Coexistence Technical Advisory Committee to provide technical guidance, public input, and programmatic recommendations related to the department’s wildlife coexistence efforts. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2028,
to include specified information on its internet website, as provided.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 2960) is added to Division 3 of the
<ns0:DocName>Fish and Game Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_AE2A3D31-D6C7-4EC1-BE86-A320D75DFF07" type="CHAPTER">
<ns0:Num>14.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_6D23E14F-8ACA-4052-9F52-1BBE645C73EC">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>California Wildlife Coexistence Act</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>1.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_48410056-FD8E-435A-90F7-08D9254846A4">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>General Provisions</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>2960.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Wildlife Coexistence Act.</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>2961.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>It is the policy of the state that the management of wildlife shall include an emphasis on the coexistence of humans and wildlife through department-led efforts to reduce, minimize, and mitigate conflicts. These efforts shall also seek to align with the state’s conservation, public safety, environmental planning, and climate adaptation goals and to be accomplished through coordination and cooperation between the department and wildlife coexistence partners.</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_6435DA66-C724-46E1-A8FB-48EEA589178D">
<ns0:Num>2962.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>For purposes of this chapter, “wildlife coexistence partners” means local, state, and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, federally recognized tribes, non-federally recognized California Native American tribes included on the contact list maintained by the Native American Heritage Commission, other entities, and academic programs.</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>2.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_6D994708-80D9-4C1A-B023-F7C7B0362CB9">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>The Wildlife Coexistence Program</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_9E6E9AE4-EE3E-4788-9FD5-88E63E4C9CEB">
<ns0:Num>2963.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department shall establish the Wildlife Coexistence Program to manage and promote wildlife coexistence by conducting all of the following activities:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Managing, tracking, and responding to wildlife conflict calls, reports, and incident responses.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating conflicts between humans and wildlife by proactively and continuously implementing best practices that emphasize effective and ecologically appropriate nonlethal conflict resolution solutions developed using best available science and indigenous knowledge.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Investigating, documenting, and analyzing
reported human-wildlife incidents, including, but not limited to, depredation, perceived or actual human-wildlife conflicts, and wildlife health issues.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Maintaining a statewide wildlife incident reporting tool.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Consistent with existing law, supporting community-based efforts in coordination with wildlife coexistence partners and providing technical assistance, resources, and recommendations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Conducting ongoing public outreach and education.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(g)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Implementing the provisions of this chapter.
</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_AE7F1DC5-D6C8-4B03-8C9B-3E7A512EBFFA">
<ns0:Num>2964.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_15F0F56E-B7CD-477D-82AD-136A3FE2E419">
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<html:p>Upon appropriation by the Legislature, including the cost for implementation, the department may provide resources to wildlife coexistence partners to support efforts required for the Wildlife Coexistence Program pursuant to Section 2963 and the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program pursuant to Section 2966.</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_29174BA5-D808-4A9A-8214-F452C349099F">
<ns0:Num>2965.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_AEC7BD51-8C34-4599-BB43-5514F0F8C8CE">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>On or before July 1, 2028, the department shall include on its internet website, accessible to the public, all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The annual number, general locations, and species involved in reported human-wildlife conflicts and department responses pursuant to Section 2963.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
An inventory of known types of proactive wildlife coexistence activities within each region and statewide, including community-based and tribal efforts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Descriptions of resources provided pursuant to Section 2964, including recipients, regions, and dollar amounts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Depredation permits
issued by species and regions.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The outcomes of the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program pursuant to Section 2966, including a list of any resources funded by activity, county, and wolf pack.
</html:p>
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_07CB2EBD-59A8-4877-9B9A-4D215EEB1264" type="ARTICLE">
<ns0:Num>3.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_772DB712-B61A-49C8-BA7F-1932D056408F">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>The Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_3EE83C44-4C31-4BEC-A3A4-ACAE6B480C60">
<ns0:Num>2966.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The California Wolf-Livestock Compensation Pilot Program established pursuant to the annual Budget Act of 2021 shall be renamed the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Upon appropriation by the Legislature, including the cost for implementation, the department shall establish the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program to provide resources to eligible participants for all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Providing equipment and information on practices used to proactively and nonlethally deter wolf attacks on livestock.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Compensation for confirmed or provable losses of livestock
verified by the department to have been caused by wolves.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Compensation for indirect impacts on livestock from the presence of wolves.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
At least 50 percent of the funds appropriated to the program shall be used for purposes of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
To be eligible for any resources from the program for the purposes of paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b), a participant shall have adopted, implemented, and documented proper and ongoing deployment of proactive, nonlethal conflict reduction measures approved by the department.
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_84C41252-027F-4B92-8472-AA06ED32DF53" type="ARTICLE">
<ns0:Num>4.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_80F9B95F-EBFC-4626-89E8-86BF0D160457">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>The Wildlife Coexistence Technical Advisory Committee</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_3AD596C1-02BF-47A7-857C-E6A086F4D821">
<ns0:Num>2967.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_DB4D9B47-155B-4B8E-8F13-3BF9891CD32A">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department shall establish the Wildlife Coexistence Technical Advisory Committee to provide technical guidance, public input, and programmatic recommendations related to the department’s wildlife coexistence efforts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The advisory committee shall advise the department on all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Best available science, indigenous knowledge, and management practices for reducing human-wildlife conflict.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Development, implementation, and evaluation of coexistence programs.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Program metrics,
data collection standards, and reporting practices.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Equity and geographic balance in program design and funding distribution.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Opportunities for coordination with wildlife coexistence partners.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The advisory committee shall consist of no fewer than 11 and no more than 15 members, appointed by the director, representing expertise or experience in one or more of the following areas, with no more than two people from each category:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Wildlife biology or ecology.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Human-wildlife conflict mitigation or coexistence practices.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Tribal natural resource management.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Conservation or environmental science.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Rural community or agricultural interests.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Animal behavior or veterinary science.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(7)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Land management.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(8)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Urban community.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Members shall serve three-year terms and may be reappointed. Initial appointments may include shorter terms to ensure staggering.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Members of the advisory committee shall serve without compensation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The advisory committee shall meet at least twice per year, or more frequently at the request of the department.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(g)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The department shall consider, but is not required to adopt, recommendations made by the advisory committee.
</html:p>
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