Sen. Blakespear’s Bill to Promote Wildlife Coexistence Passes Senate Committee

SB 1135 establishes a statewide program to reduce conflicts, keep people and animals safe, protect property and promote biodiversity

SACRAMENTO – Legislation by Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas, to establish a statewide program promoting coexistence with wildlife and codify a wolf-livestock coexistence and compensation program passed the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on Tuesday.

Wildlife coexistence programs educate and support community and property owner efforts to reduce and remove attractants like trash and food. The programs help people keep a safe distance, implement methods proven to actively deter conflicts and promote wild animals’ instincts to stay wild.

SB 1135 would re-establish a statewide wildlife coexistence program that ended in 2024 after three years when funding for it expired. Among other things, the program deployed trained regional human-wildlife conflict staff around the state. In an Assembly informational hearing in January, agency and department leaders acknowledged that the absence of this effort is being felt acutely across urban, suburban and rural California. 

Over the last five years, wildlife incident reports logged by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) increased by 31 percent and calls, emails and field contacts rose by 58 percent. 

Recent headlines have illustrated the problem, with stories of a bear living under a Los Angeles home, wolves becoming habituated to livestock in Northern California and a mountain lion showing up in a San Francisco park. 

“We can and must responsibly support people and wild animals to exist in a California where we are all under growing pressures and cumulative threats like extreme heat, frequent drought and intense wildfires that animals respond to by moving in search of resources to survive,” Sen. Blakespear said. “That means investing in science-based, situation-specific, proactive strategies to minimize negative interactions and prevent escalation to conflicts that pose risks for people and animals. SB 1135 proposes a program to better protect people, wildlife and communities.”

In March, Sen. Blakespear – joined by a bipartisan set of her legislative colleagues – sent a letter to the chair of the Senate budget committee proposing $48.8 million to be added to the state’s 2026-27 budget for the statewide wildlife coexistence program and to support a wolf-livestock coexistence and compensation program.

The legislation is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and the Defenders of Wildlife, and it is supported by more than two dozen diverse organizations, including Audubon California, California State Association of Counties, TomKat Ranch, Natural Resources Defense Council and the San Diego Humane Society. 

SB 1135, which passed on a 5-1 vote, goes next to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. 

Last year, Sen. Blakespear passed legislation (SB 427) that extended funding to acquire, restore and enhance wildlife habitats across the state. She also fought to overturn budget cuts that would have eliminated hundreds of positions from CDFW and undermined state efforts to conserve land and habitat.

Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.