Bill Pays Homage to Extinct CA Grizzly

A proposed bill could pave the way for the return of the grizzly bear to California more than a century after the species was eradicated from the state. State Senator Laura Richardson introduced Senate Bill 1305, known as the California Grizzly Restoration Act, which orders the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop a roadmap for reintroducing the bear by June 30, 2028.

The legislation does not immediately open the door to bears being released into the wild. Instead, it requires the department to conduct a scientific assessment of the biological and ecological viability of establishing a self-sustaining grizzly population.

The department must also consult with local governments, residents, landowners, and California Native American tribes. The approved roadmap must consider the risk of human-wildlife conflict before any reintroduction efforts can be authorized.

Richardson drafted the bill in response to a 2025 study published in the Journal of Heredity that found that brown bears living in Yellowstone National Park share a close genetic background with the extinct California grizzly.

According to the legislation, Richardson believes that bringing the keystone species back will promote biodiversity and restore ecological processes lost when the animals were removed from the land. The bill also acknowledges the profound cultural and spiritual significance of the grizzly bear to many California Native American tribes.

The initiative arrives after a long absence of the species in the state. Before the expansion of American settlers during the Gold Rush, an estimated 10,000 grizzly bears inhabited California from the Sierra Nevada to the Los Angeles Basin.

As the human population grew, settlers hunted bears to protect cattle herds and captured them for entertainment known as bull-and-bear fights. This relentless hunting caused a rapid population decline.

The last recorded hunt of a California grizzly took place in Tulare County in August 1922. By 1924, following a final documented sighting in Sequoia National Park, the state’s grizzly bears were declared extinct.

The California grizzly bear was known for its brownish-yellow fur, which earned it the nickname of the California golden bear. While early settlers frequently described the bears as weighing over 1,000 pounds, modern evaluations indicate their average weight ranged from 229 to 556 pounds, which is similar in size to other North American brown bears.

They were opportunistic omnivores on a diverse diet that included grasses, berries, acorns, elk, and washed-up whale carcasses. The grizzly is a symbol of California’s natural history, serving as the official state animal and the centerpiece of the state flag.