Fully protected species: California Endangered Species Act: authorized take.

The California Endangered Species Act (CESA) requires the Fish and Game Commission to establish a list of endangered species and a list of threatened species and to add or remove species from either list if it finds, upon the receipt of sufficient scientific information, as specified, that the action is warranted. The act prohibits the taking of an endangered or threatened species, except in certain situations, including, if specified conditions are met, through the issuance of a permit commonly known as an incidental take permit. Existing law also enumerates fully protected species and prohibits the take of fully protected species, except under limited circumstances. This bill would, until December 31, 2033, authorize the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a permit under CESA that would authorize the take of a fully protected species resulting from impacts attributable to the implementation of specified projects if certain conditions are satisfied, including, among others, the conditions required for the issuance of an incidental take permit. The bill would require the department to develop a plan on or before July 1, 2024, to assess the population status of each fully protected species. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, to prepare and submit a report to certain committees of the Legislature regarding the implementation of the authorization to issue these permits for the take of fully protected species. The bill would also remove the American peregrine falcon, brown pelican, and thicktail chub as fully protected species. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.