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.