Bill Text: CA AB1024 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1024

Introduced

Bill Title: Department of Fish and Wildlife: San Gabriel Valley Bear Management and Community Safety Act.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Failed) 2026-02-02 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1024 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB1024-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1024

Introduced by Assembly Member Harabedian

February 20, 2025

An act to add Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 1595) to Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to fish and wildlife.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1024, as introduced, Harabedian. Department of Fish and Wildlife: San Gabriel Valley Bear Management and Community Safety Act.

Under existing law, the Department of Fish and Wildlife has jurisdiction over the conservation, protection, and management of fish, wildlife, native plants, and habitat necessary for biologically sustainable populations of those species.

This bill would establish the San Gabriel Valley Bear Management and Community Safety Act, which would require, on or before January 1, 2027, the department to develop a regional plan specific to the cities located within the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles to address issues relating to bears in the community. The bill would require the plan to include various components, including, among other things, an overview of the behaviors of the bears in the San Gabriel Mountains. The bill would require the department to establish measurable performance goals for reducing bear encounters within the cities located in the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles, and to report those goals to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027. The bill would require the department to tag and track any bear that enters a residential neighborhood in a city located within the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles using innovative technologies, as specified.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for County of Los Angeles.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 1595) is added to Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code, to read:

CHAPTER 5.5. San Gabriel Valley Bear Management and Community Safety Act

1595.

This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the San Gabriel Valley Bear Management and Community Safety Act.

1595.1.

(a) On or before January 1, 2027, the department shall develop a regional plan specific to the cities located within the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles to address issues relating to bears in the community.

(b) The plan shall include all of the following information:

(1) An overview of the behaviors of the bears in the San Gabriel Mountains.

(2) Potential causes leading to bears entering neighborhoods and homes.

(3) An analysis of the various city ordinances and procedures related to addressing the issue of urban bear encounters.

(4) Best practices that cities should adopt to reduce urban bear encounters.

(5) A reassessment of the department’s bear classifications to inform local response procedures.

1595.2.

(a) The department shall establish measurable performance goals for reducing bear encounters within the cities located in the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles.

(b) The department shall submit a report containing the measurable performance goals to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027.

(c) (1) The requirement for submitting a report to the Legislature imposed under subdivision (b) is inoperative on January 1, 2031, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

(2) A report to be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

1595.3.

The department shall tag and track any bear that enters a residential neighborhood in a city located within the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles using innovative technologies, such as a global positioning system (GPS) tracking collar or an artificial intelligence (AI) based tracking system, in order to monitor the bear after relocation.

SEC. 2.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the increase in bear encounters within communities within the San Gabriel Valley in the County of Los Angeles.