Basically, we are a very ecologically minded state and want all the species to stay alive to keep more in balance than Eastern States. Since generally speaking there are less people out here than east of the Mississippi River we like to keep it as "Wild" As possible with mountain lions, bobcats, bears and the like roaming free. Often in many neighborhoods that are suburbia (and a lot of California is suburbia) we have forests and deserts and plains where all creatures can live together. Sometimes there are problems but mostly it works out okay. For example, joggers out in wild areas sometimes are attacked by mountain lions because that's what mountain lions do, they attack creatures running away from them like Rabbits, squirrels, dogs, cats that are small enough to catch. For example, I heard a story about a mountain lion that got a 125 pound german Shepard in Carmel Valley and jumped over a 7 foot fence with it in it's mouth. The problem was that the German Shepard dog was on a chain tied to his dog house at the time and the dog died of hanging by that chain over a fence. But, the mountain lion didn't get to eat the German Shepard because of the chain.
So, it's a point of view that many if not most Californians have of loving the "Wildness" of a fully functioning ecology which is why many people move here so they can see first hand deer, raccoons, mountain lions etc.
For example, our guests in our Santa Barbara house heard the Bobcat catching something on the roof last night and it kept them up awhile. So, there is this amazing wildness to life many places in California that you might not find in Eastern STates as much. But, from about Colorado and Texas to the west it is more like this where wild animals are everywhere and you have to learn to live around them or you could have problems. It's all a choice of what kind of world you want to live in?
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