County fish and wildlife propagation fund: wildlife coexistence: tear gas.

Existing law allows a person to purchase, possess, or use tear gas or a tear gas weapon for the projection or release or tear gas if the tear gas or tear gas weapon is used solely for self-defense purposes, subject to specified requirements. Under existing law, anyone who uses tear gas or a tear gas weapon except in self-defense is guilty of a crime.

This bill would allow a person, who is authorized by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to apply aversive conditioning on wolves, to purchase, possess, or use any tear gas weapon that expels a projectile upon authorization from the sheriff of a county or the chief or other head of a municipal police department of any city or city and county.

Existing law requires certain fines and penalties paid to and retained in a county treasury to be deposited in a county fish and wildlife propagation fund and expended for the protection, conservation, propagation, and preservation of fish and wildlife, as specified. Existing law authorizes expenditures from a county fish and wildlife propagation fund for purposes relating to fish and wildlife, including, among other things, costs incurred by a district attorney or city attorney in investigating and prosecuting civil and criminal actions relating to fish and wildlife.

This bill would additionally authorize expenditures from a county fish and wildlife propagation fund for costs relating to wildlife coexistence programs to prevent human-wildlife conflict.