Legislative Session Summary

Legislative Session Summary

AB 2494 was vetoed by Governor Newsom after receiving overwhelming support in the Legislature, and from our supporters. AB 2494, authored by Assemblymember Rogers, would have conserved 85,000 acres of state demonstration forests under the 30x30 initiative, and fixed an outdated management mandate that determined these forests be logged for profit. The legislation, sponsored by EPIC, would have also required CALFIRE, who manages these forests to engage in co-management agreements with local Tribes for these forests, many of whom have advocated for co-management, and a moratorium on logging of these forests. EPIC is committed to advocating for the better management of our demonstration forests. We look forward to continuing this long fight for our state forests, and the Tribes whose ancestral lands are being mismanaged.

AB 2218 authored by Assemblymember Kalra, and sponsored by the Karuk Tribe and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians would have added official recognition to our state’s law that California’s water rights system ignores how land was taken from Native Americans during colonization. Addressing these inequities, the bill required financial assistance to Tribes, protection of tribal uses and more consultation on water projects. The bill also required the state water board to consult with tribes whose ancestral territories included water bodies during investigations into water rights. The bill was vetoed by Governor Newsom, as he attempts to advance several massive water infrastructure developments and policy changes before he leaves office, including the construction of the Sites Reservoir project northwest of Sacramento.

SB 954 authored by Senator Blakespear would have repaired the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), from disastrous gutting in last year’s legislative session. In 2025, an “advanced manufacturing” exemption was put into our state’s bedrock environmental review policy. This exemption for “advanced manufacturing” projects includes more than 75 different categories of industrial facilities like chemical, pesticide and plastics manufacturing from environmental review, public disclosure and mitigation requirements. Having these safeguard environmental review laws is important for nearby communities to be fully aware of what is being sited near their homes and schools, and for the public to be able to have a say and require mitigation measures to make up for the damage these polluting projects cause. The exemption also risks harm to endangered species that may suffer from these advanced manufacturing projects having less environmental review. Unfortunately Governor Newsom vetoed this bill, leaving communities and endangered species vulnerable to polluting projects.

Wildlife Conservation Laws

SB 1250 Wildlife Connectivity sponsored by Senator Cortese was signed into law establishing wildlife connectivity as a formal objective for Caltrans; meaning that the state agency will have to integrate wildlife connectivity into the way they plan, design and deliver its highway projects, supporting better planning and agency coordination for wildlife connectivity. This will not only increase driver safety and reduce traffic congestion, but will also prevent many critters from vehicle strikes. The piece of legislation will also require the California Transportation Commission to review and approve a supplemental list for wildlife connectivity assets on the state highway system.

The California Wildlife Coexistence Act, AB 1135 authored by Senator Blakespear was also signed into law. This bill restores the Wildlife Coexistence Program of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that will focus on conserving and protecting biodiversity and natural resources in the state. Luckily for wolves, this program will write the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program into the Fish and Game Code, codifying it into law. This program had previously been discontinued in 2024 due to lack of funding. This established program will now be subject to funding by the Legislature. $18 million has been dedicated to kick-start the program, followed by $15 million every year to continue the implementation. The $15 million recurring funding is dependent on whether the Legislature continues to dedicate this amount of funding towards this program when the budget is decided each year. This funding will make nonlethal deterrents available for cattle ranchers to help with the resurgence of the grey wolf. It also pays cattle ranchers per cattle injured or killed by the wolves. As the roughly 90 wolves across 13 packs in California continue to grow, it is critical that the state minimizes conflict between these canines and cattle. We hope to see more wolves across the landscape, thus we need the tools to reduce depredation of cattle. If the conflict isn’t mitigated, this puts wolves at risk of being killed by frustrated ranchers. We know that this program alone won’t be solely enough to end all conflict. We also need more protected landscapes for wildlife to exist without cattle grazing allotments. The more open, protected landscapes where Black-tailed deer, Roosevelt, Tule, and Rocky Mountain Elk can exist, the better it will be for our wolf population, and ecosystems as a whole. Lastly, this bill establishes safe coexistence between people and wildlife as a goal for California wildlife management.