California lawmakers on the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Aug. 13 voted down a measure to consider whether grizzly bears could be reintroduced to the state.
Sen. Laura Richardson’s (D-Inglewood) Senate Bill 1305 would have required the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine whether, and under what conditions, grizzly bear reintroduction was feasible.
Lawmakers did not discuss the bill or take public testimony, as is typical with the legislature’s appropriations committees, according to CalMatters.
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) announced the decision, telling reporters that the state must first figure out how humans can best coexist with predatory wildlife. “The state needs to really invest in how we are actually addressing and dealing with those conflicts,” she said.
