By Tim Binnall
A California lawmaker has put forward a bill that would designate Bigfoot as the state's official cryptid. According to a local media report, assembly member Chris Rogers introduced the legislation on Friday. The fairly straightforward proposal reads "existing law establishes the state flag and the state's emblems, including, among other things, the golden poppy as the official state flower and the California redwood as the official state tree. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would designate Bigfoot as the official state cryptid."
Rogers has, somewhat strangely, offered no public comments regarding the rather fantastic bill aimed at celebrating the legendary creature. That said, his district includes the town of Willow Creek, which has long embraced its place in Bigfoot lore, and Bluff Creek, where the legendary Patterson-Gimlin footage was captured, which would seem to explain his appreciation of Sasquatch. Should the legislation ultimately pass, California will have succeeded where two other states have previously fallen short.
An attempt to name Sasquatch the official cryptid of Washington state failed to come to fruition in 2018 and 2019. Amusingly, part of the reason for the legislation was to claim Bigfoot before Oregon could, though the state has seemingly shown no interest in recognizing Sasquatch in such a fashion. Additionally, in this past November's election, Idaho Congressional candidate Chandler Stewart Hadraba ran on a platform that included recognizing Bigfoot as the state's official animal. Alas, the concept never got out of the proverbial starting blocks as Hadraba lost his race for office.