California End of Legislative Session Summary
Delta Waterfowl’s policy team had a busy and productive year in California. We engaged in a variety of bills from waterfowl conservation and wetlands protections to firearms. Our team held our first lobby day in Sacramento. The Delta team met with more than a dozen bipartisan assembly members and senators from districts throughout California, and members discussed priority legislation affecting duck hunters and the importance of waterfowl conservation in the state.
Our team advocated for legislation this year by sending letters of support, testifying in committee, and sending action alerts, which allowed Delta Waterfowl members throughout the state to send letters directly to their representatives. Of the five core bills we supported this year, we are happy to report that three have been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Senate Bill 427 is an important bill that will help support California public refuges like Yolo, Greylodge, etc. The primary provision of this bill is to mandate the indefinite annual transfer of $30 million from the General Fund to the Habitat Conservation Fund, continuing the financial support previously set to expire in 2030.
Assembly Bill 1520 would make various technical and other changes to the Fish and Game Code, including amendments to the Duck Stamp Program, to make it more efficient and effective. The Duck Stamp program, which has limited funding derived from the annual sale of duck stamps required for waterfowl hunting, pays for habitat, research, and other necessary projects that support waterfowl populations.
Assembly Bill 764 allows the take of mute swans at any time, beginning January 1, 2026. The bill amends Section 3801 of the Fish and Game Code to include mute swans among the non-game birds that can be taken or possessed without a hunting license, aligning them with existing provisions for other non-game birds such as the English sparrow and starling.
Unfortunately, not every bill Delta supported this year passed the legislature, despite our team’s robust advocacy attempts.
Assembly Bill 1169 would help increase the number of outdoor recreation opportunities offered through the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement Program. The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s SHARE Program provides incentives to private landowners to make their property available to the public for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. This bill passed the Assembly, but unfortunately, it was held under submission in the Senate Appropriations Committee. This bill died because the Appropriations Committee felt that the fiscal note attached to the bill in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee was too high to pass. We are disappointed to see this outcome and hope that it is reintroduced next session.
Assembly Bill 929 adds the term “managed wetlands” to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In turn, this language prohibits a groundwater sustainability agency from imposing fees upon a managed wetland. The other benefit this bill has is a sweeping commitment to the no-net-loss policy for wetlands, ensuring regulatory protections for some of the most sensitive areas in the state. Unfortunately, this bill did not pass this year. The bill sponsor, Assembly Member Damon Connolly, chose to withdraw this bill at the end of the legislative session because he felt he did not have the votes on the floor to pass it. The good news is that California is on a two-year session, and he intends to reintroduce this bill in 2026.
Our team is hopeful that the 2026 legislative session will be as productive as this year’s, and we look forward to engaging with legislators on our key issues. If you have any questions on the 2025 legislative session, please reach out to Delta’s Senior Manager of Government Affairs – Pacific Flyway, Christopher Hoon, choon@deltawaterfowl.org