The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) acts as the decision-maker for fact-specific decisions related to individual licenses, permits, or related privileges in cases defined by California Fish and Game Code or Commission regulation. Cases are typically prompted in one of two ways: (1) by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) filing an administrative accusation with the Commission or (2) a member of the public filing either an appeal or request for reinstatement of a license or permit. In instances where the Commission acts in this capacity, the Commission ultimately enters a final decision related to the specific individual license and/or permit privilege(s).
California Government Code Section 11425.60 authorizes agencies to designate past decisions as precedent, which is intended to encourage agencies to articulate what they are doing when they make new law or policy in an adjudicative decision.
Designating cases that have aspects of law or policy that are likely to reoccur in future decisions provides guidance to members of the public, the Department, administrative law judges acting on behalf of the Commission, and the Commission itself regarding subsequent cases involving identical or similar facts.
Once a decision is designated as precedential, the Commission may rely on the decision as an aid to future decisions. Participants in cases pending before the Commission may also cite to precedential decisions in argument to the Commission as well as hearings held by the Office of Administrative Hearings on the Commission’s behalf.
Index of Commission-Designated Precedential Decisions
- Decision for case no. 14ALJ18-FGC, regarding Andrey Bukaty appeal, dated August 4, 2015
- Decision for case no. 15ALJ04-FGC, regarding Troy Tecklenburg accusation, dated February 8, 2017
- Decision for case no. 17ALJ05-FGC, regarding Gerald Wetle accusation, dated February 22, 2018
- Decision for case no. 15ALJ08-FGC, regarding Pacific Star Sportfishing, LLC accusation, dated March 2, 2018
- Decision for case no. 17ALJ17-FGC, regarding Alecia Dawn, Inc. accusation, dated February 6, 2019
- Decision for, case no. 17ALJ04-FGC, regarding Adam Robert Salvatore Aliotti accusation, dated February 6, 2019
- Decision for, case no. 19ALJ17-FGC, regarding Thanh Van accusation, dated August 21, 2020
- Decision for case no. 19ALJ05-FGC, regarding Pursuit Fishing LLC and John Woodrum accusation, dated December 23, 2020
- Decision for case no. 20ALJ02-FGC, regarding Gustavo Gutierrez accusation, dated December 23, 2020
- Decision for case no. 17ALJ02-FGC regarding David Hornbaker accusation, dated March 3, 2021
The Commission designated the ten decisions indexed on this page at its April 20, 2022 meeting; details about the meeting and copies of the decisions are available at https://fgc.ca.gov/Meetings/2022#apr.