CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

99

Introduced by Assembly Member Hart

February 20, 2026

An act to amend Sections 10332 and 10334 of, and to add Section 10334.5 to, the Public Resources Code, relating to land protection, and making an appropriation therefor.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: yes   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the California Rangeland, Grazing Land, and Grassland Protection Program to protect California’s rangeland, grazing land, and grasslands through the use of conservation easements, for specified purposes. Existing law authorizes, under the program, funds to be expended by the Wildlife Conservation Board for the acquisition of conservation easements over qualified property, as defined, and authorizes the board to make grants of funds to a state agency, local public agency, or nonprofit organization for the acquisition of conservation easements over qualified property.

The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, approved by the voters as Proposition 4 at the November 5, 2024, statewide general election, authorized the issuance of bonds in the amount of $10,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance projects for safe drinking water, drought, flood, and water resilience, wildfire and forest resilience, coastal resilience, extreme heat mitigation, biodiversity and nature-based climate solutions, climate-smart, sustainable, and resilient farms, ranches, and working lands, park creation and outdoor access, and clean air programs. The act makes available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, $870,000,000 to the board for grant programs to protect and enhance fish and wildlife resources and habitat and achieve the state’s biodiversity, public access, and conservation goals.

This bill would appropriate, from the above-described bond funds made available to the board, $90,000,000 to the board to award under the program as grants to eligible entities, as defined, to acquire conservation easements on privately owned qualified property that supports food and fiber production and ecosystem services, including wildfire fuel reduction, groundwater recharge, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space. The bill would require, on or before June 30, 2029, a grantee to expend the grant funds to acquire a conservation easement and record the conservation easement. The bill would authorize the board to partner with, and receive funds from, land trusts that are certified by the United States Department of Agriculture, as provided.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) In October 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order No. N-82-20, advancing biodiversity conservation as an administration priority and elevating the role of nature in the fight against climate change. As part of this executive order, California committed to the goal of conserving 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, known as the 30x30 goal.

(b) In response, in April 2022, the Natural Resources Agency released the Pathways to 30x30 Report, which calls for an increase in voluntary conservation easements as a key pathway to achieve the 30x30 goal. The most recent Pathways to 30x30 California Annual Progress Report released in July 2025 identifies the need to conserve an additional 4,000,000 acres of land to achieve this goal.

(c) In 2024, the voters of California approved the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, which provided a source of funding for a comprehensive range of projects, including those supporting climate-smart, sustainable, and resilient farms, ranches, and other working lands.

(d) California’s private rangelands provide significant public benefits independent of public access, including watershed protection, soil health, carbon storage, wildlife habitat and corridors, scenic open space, and reduced wildfire and flood risk, all of which are fundamental to the health, safety, and prosperity of the people of California.

(e) Livestock grazing occurs on approximately 32,000,000 acres of California’s rangelands across all 58 counties, of which approximately 17,000,000 acres are privately owned and actively managed by their stewards.

(f) Livestock grazing can be an effective tool to establish and manage protective buffers against wildfire and to help mitigate climate change. Livestock grazing removes roughly 12,000,000,000 pounds of dry biomass from California’s rangelands annually.

(g) Livestock provide food, fiber, and food security and are an important component of California’s economy and historical heritage. The cattle industry represents the fourth most valuable agricultural commodity in the state, which accounted for approximately $4,980,000,000 in revenue in 2024.

(h) California’s rangelands are one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots and support thousands of plant and animal species, many of which are listed as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act or the federal Endangered Species Act. These rangelands also provide habitat connectivity that is critical for wildlife migration.

(i) California’s tourism and hunting economy depends on healthy game species that rely on rangelands for habitat.

(j) Proper grazing management maintains rangelands’ capacity to attenuate waterborne pollutants and supply clean water.

(k) The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 directly addresses biodiversity protection. Section 93010 of the Public Resources Code identifies eligible programs for bond funding, including land acquisition, habitat enhancement and restoration, rangeland and grassland protection, wetland conservation, ecosystem restoration on agricultural lands, climate adaptation and resiliency, pollinator protection, and oak woodland conservation. Sections 93500 and 93530 of the Public Resources Code further address improving climate resilience and the sustainability of farms, ranches, and working lands through conservation easements.

(l) Voluntary conservation easements are a proven and cost-effective method for the durable protection of working landscapes while keeping land in private ownership and on local property tax rolls.

(m) Voluntary conservation easements eliminate the need for local jurisdictions or state agencies to acquire, improve, or manage these lands in perpetuity.

(n) There are more than 300,000 acres of private working rangelands and agricultural lands immediately available for voluntary conservation through conservation easements.

(o) Voluntary conservation of private working rangelands by 2030 is necessary to advance achievement of the state’s 30x30 goal.

SEC. 2.

Section 10332 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

10332.

As used in this division, the following terms have the following meanings: shall apply:

(a) “Board” means the Wildlife Conservation Board created pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 1320) of Chapter 4 of Division 20 of the Fish and Game Code.

(b) “Conservation easement” means a conservation easement, as defined by in Section 815.1 of the Civil Code, that is perpetual.

(d) “Local public agency” means any a city, county, city and county, resource conservation district, district formed pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 5500) of Chapter 3 of Division 5, authority formed pursuant to Division 26 (commencing with Section 35100), or joint powers authority made up of two or more local public agencies and one or more state agencies. authority.

(e) “Nonprofit organization” means any a nonprofit public benefit corporation formed pursuant to the Nonprofit Corporation Law (Division 2 (commencing with Section 5000) of Title 1 of the Corporations Code), qualified to do business in California, and qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the Internal Revenue Code as a tax-exempt corporation that has as with a principal purpose the conservation of conserving land and water resources.

(f) “Property” means any real property, and any including a perpetual interest therein, including such as land, conservation easements, and land containing water rights.

(g) “Qualified property” means property that is rangeland, grazing land, or grassland and that is used or is suitable for grazing; is zoned for agricultural grazing, or open-space use; and is used or suitable for habitat for aquatic or terrestrial wildlife species or native plants.

(h) “State agency” means any public entity created by statute within the Resources Agency.

SEC. 3.

Section 10334 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

10334.

Funds Except as specified in Section 10344.5, funds may be expended by the board for the acquisition of conservation easements over qualified property pursuant to the authority granted to the board under Section 1348 of the Fish and Game Code. The board may also make grants of funds to a state agency, agencies, local public agency, agencies, or nonprofit organization organizations for the acquisition of conservation easements over qualified property.

SEC. 4.

Section 10334.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

10334.5.

(a) Of the amount described in subdivision (a) of Section 93010, the sum of ninety million dollars ($90,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Fund to the board for the purposes of this section.

(b) The board shall award these funds as grants to eligible entities through the California Rangeland, Grazing Land, and Grassland Protection Program to acquire conservation easements on privately owned qualified property that supports food and fiber production and ecosystem services, including wildfire fuel reduction, groundwater recharge, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space. A grant may include:

(1) Up to 100 percent of the appraised value of a conservation easement, as approved by the Department of General Services.

(2) Up to seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) for applicant expenses related to processing the conservation easement.

(c) On or before June 30, 2029, a grantee shall expend the grant funds and record the conservation easement.

(d) The board may partner with and receive funds from land trusts certified by the United States Department of Agriculture under the federal Agricultural Conservation Easement Program for purposes of implementing this section.

(e) Priority shall be given to projects that leverage federal or private funding, but matching funds shall not be required.