Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has stepped squarely into the middle of Catalina Island’s brewing deer fight, publicly opposing a renewed plan to dramatically thin the herd and urging state officials to shut it down.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Hahn condemned the Catalina Island Conservancy’s revised strategy, which would bring in contracted professionals to remove mule deer over several years. She argued the approach is out of step with many island residents and visitors, and she attached a formal letter asking state wildlife officials to reject the permit application and work with the Conservancy on more humane alternatives.
What the Conservancy Is Proposing
The Catalina Island Conservancy argues that nonnative mule deer are chewing through native plants, speeding up erosion and helping flammable invasive grasses spread across the island, and that large scale removal is needed to restore habitat and cut wildfire risk, as outlined by the Catalina Island Conservancy. The group says it has dropped any plan for aerial sharpshooting and now favors ground based removals carried out by trained specialists under strict safety and humane protocols. Recreational hunting, the Conservancy contends, has not been enough to bring the population under control.
Officials and Residents Push Back
In a letter dated Jan. 26, Hahn asked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to reject the Restoration Management Permit application and instead explore options such as expanded hunting seasons, sterilization and relocation, according to Janice Hahn's Facebook post. She framed the proposal as both out of step with public sentiment and out of sync with what she views as humane wildlife management.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone has also raised a red flag, warning that taking out the deer could actually increase wildfire fuel, since the animals currently eat understory vegetation that would otherwise be left to dry out, a concern reported by the Los Angeles Times. It is a counterintuitive twist in a debate that has largely been framed as habitat restoration versus sentimentality.
Island residents and organized coalitions have been pushing back hard. Petitions, packed public meetings and formal legal objections have all surfaced, with opponents insisting the deer have become a familiar part of Catalina’s landscape and a draw for tourists who expect to see them wandering the hillsides.
Legal and Permitting Questions
The Conservancy’s proposal is tied to a Restoration Management Permit that must be reviewed at the state level, and Hahn’s letter was addressed to Valerie Termini at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which oversees those permits and the related public process, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. That review is where the plan either moves forward or hits a wall.
On top of that, the City of Avalon has a municipal ordinance that prohibits harming wild animals within city limits, a local rule that has complicated earlier removal efforts and remains a key sticking point in the current fight, per the city code. Between past permit denials, existing local protections and vigorous community opposition, any approved work would almost certainly face more scrutiny and likely legal challenge.
What Comes Next
The state department will review the Conservancy’s permit application, Hahn’s letter and public comments before deciding whether to approve the plan, and there is no clear timeline for that decision. In the meantime, local petition drives and organizing efforts remain active, including community petitions and a prominent Change.org campaign urging officials to block any large scale cull.
The Conservancy maintains that its goal is long term habitat recovery and greater fire resilience, and it says any state approved removal would follow established humane standards and strict safety protocols, according to the Catalina Island Conservancy. Whether that argument wins out over political pressure and public sentiment will be decided in the months ahead, as Catalina’s deer remain squarely in the crosshairs of a very human fight.
