Fish and Wildlife experts say there may be as many as 35,000 black bears in California. Why some of them are finding their way into urban neighborhoods more often lately is a bit of a mystery, but police advise residents to leave them alone unless they pose an immediate threat. (Photo by Neal Herbert/National Park Service via Bay City News)
In the past month, bears have been spotted in some urban areas of Solano County — whether it’s the same bear remains to be seen, but since one was spotted in Fairfield and the other in Vallejo, it’s safe to say the beasties didn’t hitchhike.
A bear that has been seen “loitering” in the western part of Fairfield prompted the police department to issue a press release this week to assure residents that yes, they knew about it, no, it probably won’t hurt you, and please stop calling dispatch to report it.
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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.
