Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil’s (R-Jackson) Senate Bill 1397 today cleared the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, delivering a major win for rural communities across Senate District 4 and strengthening protections for people statewide against dangerous mountain lion conflicts.
The bill requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain, enhance, and expand its Human-Mountain Lion Conflict Program with a clear focus on nonlethal deterrence, scientific research, public education, and proactive response to keep families, livestock, and pets safe. It mandates regular engagement with high-conflict counties, annual legislative updates, and a full report to lawmakers in 2031.
For rural Senate District 4, especially El Dorado County, the epicenter of the crisis, the stakes are life-and-death. In 2024 alone, residents reported more than 200 domestic animals killed, with brazen daytime sightings near schools and a tragic unprovoked attack that killed one young brother and severely injured the other while they searched for shed antlers. Post-wildfire habitat changes and expanding wildland-urban interfaces have only intensified the threat to rural families and ranchers.
“This bill is a critical step forward for the families I represent in rural Senate District 4, who live every day with the reality of mountain lion encounters,” said Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil. “By strengthening nonlethal tools, research, and community partnerships, SB 1397 protects public safety without compromising our state’s conservation values, and it delivers solutions that will benefit every Californian as these conflicts spread beyond the Sierra foothills.”
Backed by sheriffs’ offices including Amador County Sheriff Gary W. Redman, Lassen County Sheriff John McGarva, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, along with strong local advocacy from El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, county governments, cattlewomen’s groups, and sportsmen’s organizations, SB 1397 now heads to Appropriations.
A broad coalition of wildlife conservation praised the bill in its letter of support: “SB 1397 takes a crucial step forward by requiring the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to maintain, enhance, and expand its human-mountain lion conflict program, including the use of nonlethal deterrence methods such as hazing and community-based prevention strategies… It promotes nonlethal wildlife management by prioritizing deterrence and prevention, advancing modern and humane practices… [and] enhances public safety by encouraging proactive approaches and outreach that reduce dangerous encounters while minimizing the need for lethal removal.”
Said Senator Alvarado-Gil, “The measure directly addresses the safety needs of rural California while providing statewide tools to prevent habituation and reduce human-mountain lion conflicts for all Californians.”