California State Safe Harbor Agreement Program Act.

Existing law establishes various programs designed to conserve and protect endangered species and wildlife. Existing law, the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) , prohibits a person from importing, exporting, or taking, possessing, purchasing, or selling within the state, any species, or any part or product thereof, that the Fish and Game Commission determines to be an endangered species or a threatened species, with specified exceptions. This bill would enact the California State Safe Harbor Agreement Program Act (act) , which would establish a program to encourage landowners to manage their lands voluntarily, by means of state safe harbor agreements approved by the Department of Fish and Game, to benefit endangered, threatened, or candidate species without being subject to additional regulatory restrictions as a result of their conservation efforts. The bill would authorize the department to authorize specified acts that are otherwise prohibited pursuant to the CESA pursuant to a safe harbor agreement entered into under the act. The bill would repeal the act on January 1, 2020.