加州议会拨款委员会周四否决了由民主党参议员Laura Richardson提出的第1305号法案[1]。该法案旨在要求加州鱼类和野生动物部门制定评估灰熊重引入可行性的路线图[1]。委员会主席Buffy Wicks表示，在考虑重引入灰熊前，加州需要先解决人与掠食性野生动物的共存问题，指出"州需要真正投资于如何实际解决和处理这些冲突"[1]。
灰熊曾广泛分布于加州，历史上可能有多达10,000只，但在1920年代因人类系统性消灭而灭绝[1]。支持该法案的包括两个美洲原住民部落、动物福利和环保组织[1]，而牧场主、狩猎协会和农村社区则表示反对[1]。
California's legislative budget committee rejected a proposal on Thursday aimed at studying the feasibility of reintroducing grizzly bears to the state.[1] State Senator Laura Richardson, a Democrat from Inglewood, had introduced Senate Bill 1305 to require the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop a roadmap for assessing the viability of restoring the species.[1] Committee Chair Buffy Wicks stated that California must first address coexistence challenges with predatory wildlife before pursuing grizzly reintroduction, declaring that "the state needs to really invest in how we actually resolve and deal with these conflicts."[1]
Grizzly bears once roamed California but were systematically exterminated and completely wiped out by the 1920s.[1] Historically, the state may have been home to as many as 10,000 grizzlies.[1] The proposal garnered support from two American Indian tribes, animal welfare organizations, and environmental groups, but faced opposition from ranchers, hunting associations, and rural communities.[1]