Man’s joke about becoming a ‘bear sanctuary city’ goes to South Lake Tahoe Council

A South Lake Tahoe resident first floated the idea of a bear sanctuary city while making light of California cities that invoke a sanctuary status, a policy limiting local authorities collaborating with federal law enforcement. The idea became more than a joke.

Erick Asbury’s idea reached the influential nonprofit, Bear League, which lobbied the South Lake Tahoe City Council this week to pass a proclamation declaring its jurisdictions a “Bear Sanctuary City” and its opposition to killing bears except in cases where humans are threatened.

The proclamation comes as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife grapples with increased “bear conflicts” in the Lake Tahoe Basin, according to the department’s website, and euthanizes multiple ursine creatures, such as a 500-pound bear Hank the Tank. Some of these killings infuriated local residents, many of whom believe killing bears should be the last resort.

“Bears are doing just what bears do,” said Dave Fleishman, a spokesperson with the BEAR League, a volunteer organization committed to keeping bears safe. “It’s problems with the humans.”

The Bear League submitted a draft resolution Oct. 19 to city officials, according to an email provided by South Lake Tahoe’s City Clerk Susan Blankenship.

Council members, during a City Council meeting, can refer staff to place an item on a future agenda with the support of another council member. Blankenship wrote she has not been referred by elected officials on the dais to draft a proclamation.

Mayor Cody Bass and Councilmembers Keith Roberts, Dave Jinkens and Scott Robbins did not respond to a request for comment.

A drafted resolution, provided to The Sacramento Bee by the Bear League, states the American black bear is an “integral part of the Lake Tahoe Basin ecosystem and has inhabited these lands for millennia.”

It faults the CDFW for the “regular killing of bears” which is a “failure of human responsibility, community stewardship and legislative policy that promotes simple convenience over effective wildlife management.”

“The City of South Lake Tahoe opposes the killing of black bears by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife within city limits and surrounding areas in the City’s sphere of influence, except in cases of immediate threat to human life where no other option exists,” according to the draft.

Peter Tira, a CDFW spokesperson, declined to comment on the text.

The catalyst to propose this resolution came as CDFW has previously promised “lethal removal” against a bear named Hope, a mother to cub Bounce. Hope, called Bear 753 by CDFW, is genetically linked to 12 home invasions since 2022 and is also raising a cub “genetically detected” inside homes, according to CDFW.

Bear 753 has been approved for “management action” though CDFW officials are “not actively pursuing the bear nor its cub given other priorities,” Tira wrote in a Thursday email to The Bee.

Bears are only euthanized after they pose a public safety threat or are responsible for repeated and severe property damage despite “non-lethal interventions,” Tira wrote.

“We focus our bear management efforts on education and conflict prevention,” Tira wrote.

The Bear League opposes killing Hope, and offered to pay to relocate the mother bear and cub, Bounce, Fleishman said. If a person spots Hope, volunteers are ready to respond urgently in case residents call CDFW to come and handle it, he said.

The lethal removal of a bear is ineffective, and people should be trained to properly lock away food, Fleishman said.

“Hope and Bounce made it crystal clear that something needed to be done more than what we are doing,” he said.

Fleishman doubted the proclamation could deter CDFW from euthanizing bears. Tira did not answer questions about CDFW’s jurisdiction clashing with city policy.

Asbury, the person who coined the term “Bear Sanctuary City” hopes his idea helps protect the lumbering animals. The discussion may also spark more coordination between city, state and federal officials to manage the creatures, he said.

“It’s amazing what a couple of words can do,” he said.

This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 3:27 PM.