FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2026
Contact: Stefanie Lao, stefanie@fcpcommunications.com, (818) 261-6871
California Conservation Leaders Raise the Alarm on DOGE-like Cuts at California Natural Resource Agencies
SACRAMENTO – With just days remaining before the budget is finalized, California conservation leaders are sounding the alarm about proposed staffing cuts at the state’s environmental agencies. Governor Newsom’s 2026-2027 budget revision includes the elimination of 346 open positions at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, State Parks, the State Water Board, and California Coastal Commission.
“Eliminating hundreds of open positions at natural resource agencies feels painfully like echoes of what we’re seeing at the federal level,” said Nick Jensen, Conservation Program Director, California Native Plant Society. “It’s hard to believe that California would double down on cutting scientists, park rangers, and wildlife officers after the Trump administration decimated the workforce at public land and wildlife agencies.”
The positions proposed for elimination are critical to the state’s ability to perform essential permitting, public safety, and land and natural resource protection work. They include:
- 164 positions at California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- 85 positions at California State Parks
- 90 positions at the State Water Resources Control Board
- 6 positions at the California Coastal Commission
“It would be incredibly shortsighted to say ‘no big deal, these positions are already open’ and slash them in the state budget,” said Jensen. “The reality is that these agencies are already severely understaffed. Once these positions are cut, it could take years to get them back–if ever.”
“Any proposed staffing cuts to the Department of Fish and Wildlife are wholly illogical,” said Pamela Flick, California Program Director, Defenders of Wildlife. “The legislature long ago identified that insufficient staffing inhibited the Department from completing its program work to protect wildlife. Nearly a decade ago, the state invested more funding into staffing and capacity to overcome these shortfalls. Now, the governor’s budget is undercutting that progress, leaving the management of more than 600 declining species in limbo.”
California Department of Fish and Wildlife would be particularly hard hit by these cuts. According to the Senate Budget Subcommittee #2, 45 of these positions are wildlife officers, jobs that are critical to the state’s enforcement, conservation, and public safety work. California has one of the lowest number of wildlife officers per capita in the United States, despite its size and geographic diversity.
Also at risk is California’s ability to protect wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. For example, CDFW staff routinely reviews a wide range of projects on behalf of Californians to ensure that these projects do not result in significant impacts to California’s wildlife. CDFW’s efforts result in better projects that achieve their objectives while avoiding or mitigating impacts to biodiversity. If these positions are eliminated, important infrastructure, clean energy, housing, and restoration projects could be delayed, with project proponents waiting longer for critical, technical feedback. “Eliminating these positions is the opposite of efficiency,” Jensen adds. This opinion is also shared by industry, who have submitted their own letters to the legislature protesting these staffing cuts.
The position eliminations in the budget exacerbate the impacts of the federal firing of park rangers, land managers, scientists, and more. According to a recently released analysis from Prospect Partners, federal DOGE cuts hit California public land agencies harder than any other state besides Colorado. At public land agencies – including the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife – employment of California residents dropped by 1,540 jobs in 2025 (a 14% loss among the public lands workforce).
State legislators are already starting to draw this parallel. Late last month, State Senator Catherine Blakespear (SD-38) was quoted in a local news outlet opposing the cuts to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, calling them “haphazard” and saying “We’ve seen the harmful impacts of this from the federal government.”
The California Senate has proposed to restore approximately 40% of the proposed staffing cuts in the natural resource protection agencies. The Assembly, despite the recommendation to restore all of these positions by the Assembly subcommittee overseeing these agencies, has proposed to eliminate all proposed staff positions – mirroring the Administration’s proposal. This difference between the two houses in the Legislature remains a live debate as the California Legislature works to meet the deadline to send the state budget to the Governor for signature by June 30.
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About the Power in Nature Coalition
Power in Nature is a statewide coalition of over 250 community groups, environmental and conservation organizations, land trusts, Indigenous organizations, and Tribal members dedicated to advancing California’s 30×30 commitment. The Power In Nature coalition has identified nearly 100 potential 30×30 projects across the state and works on a broad range of issues, including biodiversity protection, climate resilience, equity, recreation, outdoor access, and social justice. For more information, visit PowerInNature.org.
