Earlier this week, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) withdrew his Senate Bill 252, which would have fully banned the hunting of black bears across California. The bill was shelved amid strong opposition from a broad range of stakeholders including RCRC. Senator Wiener announced the withdrawal due to higher priority issues such as COVID-19 that needed his attention this year.
SB 252 was introduced on January 26, 2021 as a measure which, according to Senator Wiener, was intended to protect the black bear population in California from diminishing habitat due to wildfires and other threats. The bill would have reclassified black bears as non-game mammals in California and eliminated the bear tag program at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), which allows for no more than 1,700 bear kills annually, while preserving the ability for landowners to kill a black bear in the event of an immediate threat to their safety or that of livestock. The bill also allowed for obtaining depredation permits in the event of overpopulation by black bears in a specified area.
RCRC’s letter of opposition noted the flourishing black bear population in California according to CDFW, while encouraging the author to seek remedies to California’s wildfire and forest management problem to help solve concerns about black bear habitat. RCRC will continue to monitor the issue for future attempts to ban black bear hunting in California.