An act to add and repeal Sections 4811, 4811.2, 4811.4, and 4811.6 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to mountain lions.
SB 1397 would require the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain, enhance, and expand its human-mountain lion conflicts program to protect public health and safety. The bill directs the department to use its existing authority to authorize nonlethal procedures, expand scientific research on deterring mountain lions from entering communities and preventing habituation to humans, and conduct public education and outreach on reducing conflicts and protecting livestock and domestic animals.
The bill also adds oversight and reporting requirements. The department would have to regularly attend local public meetings in counties with high conflict levels, provide annual status updates to the Legislature through the Director of Fish and Wildlife until 2034, and submit a detailed report by October 1, 2031 describing program results, staffing, and recommendations. These provisions are temporary and would be repealed on January 1, 2033 for the operational program sections and on January 1, 2036 for the reporting section.
Because mountain lion protections were established by Proposition 117, SB 1397 includes a finding that its changes are consistent with and further the purposes of the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990. That declaration is important because changes to the mountain lion laws generally require a four-fifths vote of both houses of the Legislature. The bill is framed as a public-safety and wildlife-management measure rather than a change to the species’ protected status.
The bill’s impact on state law is to create new statutory duties for the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Fish and Game Code, especially around conflict response, research, outreach, and legislative reporting. It does not appropriate funds, but it may increase workload and administrative obligations for the department and could affect local communities, livestock owners, schools, and residents in areas with frequent mountain lion encounters. It also reinforces the role of depredation permitting and nonlethal conflict-reduction tools within existing mountain lion law.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text and voting history is supportive and safety-focused. The measure passed its first policy committee unanimously and was then placed on the Appropriations suspense file, suggesting broad agreement on the policy but possible concern about fiscal or staffing implications. The main point of contention is not whether mountain lion conflicts are real, but how much the state should expand department responsibilities and whether the program can be sustained without dedicated funding.
SB 1397 would add temporary provisions to the Fish and Game Code requiring the Department of Fish and Wildlife to expand its human-mountain lion conflicts program, conduct additional scientific research, provide public outreach, and report to the Legislature on program results and staffing. It would also require regular local and legislative updates and would declare the changes consistent with Proposition 117, thereby attempting to fit within the constitutional and statutory limits on amending California’s mountain lion protections. The bill primarily affects the Department of Fish and Wildlife, local governments in high-conflict counties, and residents, livestock owners, and communities experiencing mountain lion encounters.
The bill appears to have a generally favorable reception in committee, with a 7-0 do-pass vote and no recorded opposition in the available committee vote history. The framing of the bill emphasizes public safety, wildlife conflict reduction, and research-based management, which likely contributes to its support. At the same time, its placement on the Appropriations suspense file indicates that fiscal and staffing considerations remain relevant, even if the policy itself is broadly accepted.
The main area of contention is the balance between protecting public safety and preserving the strict protections for mountain lions established by Proposition 117. Supporters of the bill emphasize the need for more department action, research, outreach, and responsiveness in counties experiencing repeated conflicts, especially after serious incidents involving domestic animals and human injury. Potential concerns center on whether the Department of Fish and Wildlife has sufficient resources to carry out expanded duties, whether the bill could be seen as pushing the limits of Proposition 117, and whether the new mandates can be implemented effectively without dedicated funding.