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Though a bill that would make it easier for some Californians to kill swans has been flying through the Legislature, it may soon face backlash if animal welfare activists were to intensify their opposition to the proposal, writes CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow.
Native to Europe and Asia, mute swans are considered an invasive species in many regions across North America. They displace native birds, destroy plant species that other native animals rely on and are aggressive. In 2022 there were about 1,150 mute swans in California, according to state waterfowl biologists. This spring, scientists estimate there are more than 12,000.
To bring down their population, a measure currently before the state Senate would allow hunters and landowners to shoot swans through 2030. The bill uses a similar approach to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s $13 million campaign to control nutrias, a large invasive rodent from South America.
- Mark Hennelly, a lobbyist for the California Waterfowl Association, during an Assembly committee hearing in March: “If the population gets too large and out of control, it may be beyond our ability then to really effectively manage them. So we want to get ahead of the problem.”
The bill has no formal opposition yet, but other states on the East Coast that have tried to enact the same eradication methods against mute swans were met with strong resistance from anti-hunting activists.
Nicole Rivard, a spokesperson for Friends of Animals, said claims of the species’ environmental damage are exaggerated. Mute swans were also imported to the U.S. by humans through no fault of their own, and shouldn’t be killed for it. The bill, Rivard argues, serves as another avenue for hunters to have yet another bird to legally shoot.
CalMatters events: Join us Aug. 20 for a lunchtime discussion on the final days of the 2025 legislative session and what’s ahead for 2026. CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff will moderate a panel featuring Capitol community insiders Leah Barros, Keely Martin Bosler, Cesar Diaz, Ben Golombek and more. Register here to attend in person at the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento.
Other Stories You Should Know
UCLA gets some science funding back
In a blow to President Donald Trump’s administration, a California district court judge has ordered the administration on Tuesday to restore 300 federal science research grants it suspended at UCLA in July, writes CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.
The Trump administration suspended those grants by the National Science Foundation over claims that the university isn’t doing enough to curb antisemitism. The judge’s latest ruling says the administration violated a preliminary injunction issued by the same judge in June. That order directed the foundation to reinstate grants it had tried to terminate in the spring, and prohibited the foundation from terminating additional grants.
The latest order does not restore 500 other grants by the National Institutes of Health that the administration also froze in July. They weren’t covered by the June injunction. In total, the administration has frozen $584 million of UCLA’s grants in a bid to force the university into a $1 billion settlement.
The effect of LA immigration raids
As part of Trump’s plan to carry out the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history, immigration enforcement agents have detained about 3,000 people in California as of July.
At the center of the immigration crackdown in the state is Los Angeles, where CalMatters’ Nigel Duara explores what has become of the city, which is now entering its third month since raids ramped up in the summer.
What stood out most to Nigel was the city’s silence and empty spaces: Instead of raucous neighborhoods brimming with vitality, there are now shuttered restaurants, empty park benches and abandoned food stands.
The emptiness is particularly acute for Yurien Contreras, a 20-year-old Nigel spoke with whose father was detained at a June raid in the Fashion District. Since his detention, the family has been sheltering in place in a two-bedroom apartment out of fear.
- Contreras: “There’s like, no like happy things. And when there’s happy things like a birthday that just passed, we get even more sad because my dad’s not here.”
And lastly: Californians lose work after raids
A recent report from UC Merced found that California experienced a drop in private sector employment after immigration raids intensified in June. CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on how the raids affected white and Latino citizens as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Californians struggle with some of the highest utility bills in the country, but in the face of chronic budget deficits, Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers can do little to ease this issue.
Reader reaction: In the ensuing debacle over L.A. County’s Measure J, the County Counsel’s Office followed protocol at every step, and to scapegoat the office is inaccurate, writes Dawyn Harrison, county counsel for L.A. County.
Other things worth your time:
Good government group backtracks amid redistricting fight, won’t oppose efforts ‘counterbalancing’ TX // Politico
Trucking companies sue CA, seeking a release from Clean Truck Partnership // San Francisco Chronicle
Youth suicide declines since pandemic, but disparities persist in CA // EdSource
How AI data centers could save CA’s high-speed rail project // Forbes
An SF startup is pitching Trump on militarizing humanoid robots // The San Francisco Standard
Fired Bay Area immigration judges say Trump is trying to control courts // San Francisco Chronicle
Clovis gave up its pursuit to become a charter city. What that means and why // The Fresno Bee
LA volunteers who document ICE raids are being arrested. How to do it safely // Los Angeles Times
These LA tenants saw some utility fees double. So they went on strike // Los Angeles Public Press
