In 1990 the general public in California voted to make it illegal to kill mountain lions, not that they are endangered, nor do biologists recommend not hunting them. Environmental and animal welfare groups simply wanted to ban lion hunting, they argue that it's unnecessary and cruel. Hunting groups attempted to overturn the measure in 1996, but voters again chose to keep lion hunting illegal. It is also illegal to bring or have any mountain lion parts from a hunt after 1990.

Dan Richards is the president of the California Game and Fish Commission and he has pictures of himself with a large mountain lion that he successfully hunted, in Idaho, where it is completely legal.

Now there is an outcry by certain environmental and animal groups for Richards to step down from his position, as people think he is thumbing his nose and mocking the state of California and their laws, by his actions of legally hunting in Idaho for an animal that has a sustainable population.

As president, Richards has power over setting hunting regulations in California. His term is supposed to be up next January. The governor can not do anything with the commission, but the legislature can through voting. There is talk of starting a move to force Richards out. There is also talk of a commission vote next month where Richards would also vote for a new president, in which case most likely it would be the current vice president, Michael Sutton, a biologist who works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. From MercuryNews.com [2].