In our last update, we asked California supporters to urge Governor Gavin Newsom to sign SB 1135, the California Wildlife Coexistence Act.
On September 29, he did.
The new law marks an encouraging step toward helping people and wildlife share California’s landscapes safely. Authored by Senator Catherine Blakespear, SB 1135 makes coexistence an explicit priority in state wildlife management.
Building a Statewide Approach to Coexistence
Subject to legislative funding, the law directs the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish a statewide Wildlife Coexistence Program.
The program will support public education and technical assistance, improve the tracking of and response to wildlife incidents, and help communities prevent conflicts through practical, science-based approaches that emphasize nonlethal solutions.
The law also provides for collaboration among the state, nonprofits, tribes, local agencies and other partners — an important recognition that successful coexistence requires people working together across communities and landscapes.
What It Could Mean for Mountain Lions
For mountain lions, the promise is straightforward: preventing conflict can help prevent unnecessary deaths.
Helping residents protect pets and livestock, understand mountain lion behavior, remove attractants and use effective deterrents can reduce situations that escalate into conflicts or calls for lethal removal.
A coordinated statewide program offers an opportunity to make that information and assistance more accessible and consistent across California.
That matters especially as mountain lions face mounting pressure from habitat loss, fragmented landscapes and expanding development.
Earlier this year, California granted threatened-species protections to mountain lion populations in Southern California and the Central Coast. Coexistence efforts can complement those protections by helping communities safely share landscapes with these vulnerable animals.
The Work Isn’t Finished
Signing SB 1135 is an important milestone, but passage of the law is not the end of the story.
Funding and implementation will ultimately determine the program’s reach and impact. The Mountain Lion Foundation will continue following that process and advocating for effective, science-based coexistence efforts.
For MLF, the new law advances a principle at the heart of our work: protecting people, domestic animals, livestock and mountain lions can go hand in hand.
