Habitat Conservation Fund.

Senators Blakespear and Stern propose extending California's annual $30 million Habitat Conservation Fund transfer indefinitely, removing the current 2030 sunset date for wildlife and parkland preservation funding. The measure maintains existing allocation formulas that distribute funds among the Department of Parks and Recreation, State Coastal Conservancy, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, California Tahoe Conservancy, and Wildlife Conservation Board.

The bill preserves the fund's established distribution requirements, with the Department of Parks and Recreation receiving $4.5 million annually for projects including Monterey County's Santa Lucia Mountain Range and matching grants for local wildlife corridors. The State Coastal Conservancy continues to receive $4 million, while the Santa Monica Mountains and California Tahoe conservancies maintain their respective $5 million and $500,000 annual allocations. The Wildlife Conservation Board administers the remaining balance.

Under the measure's spending guidelines, approximately one-third of total expenditures support deer and mountain lion habitat, with two-thirds directed toward wildlife areas, ecological reserves, and rare species protection. The bill retains requirements for balanced geographic distribution between northern and southern California while capping administrative costs at 1.5 percent. Funding sources remain unchanged, with transfers drawn from the General Fund minus contributions from specified accounts including tobacco tax revenues and environmental license plate fees.