Bigfoot Could Get an Official Role in California

California has dozens of official symbols, including a state fish, a state fabric, and even a state slug. State Assembly member Chris Rogers wants to add Bigfoot to the list. Rogers introduced AB Bill 666 last week to make the creature the official state "cryptid," a term for creatures that people claim to have seen but whose existence has never been proven, KCAL reports. Rogers, a Democrat, represents a district that includes Humboldt County, a hot spot for Bigfoot sightings. His bill will have to get at least 41 votes in the 80-member Assembly and pass the state Senate before it can proceed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

Bigfoot researcher Matt Moneymaker tells SFGate that he initially thought the bill was a joke, but he was all for it when he discovered it was real. "Apparently, a state can have an official cryptid. So why not?" he says. "And obviously, Bigfoot's the biggest one of all among cryptids, and California is where the term Bigfoot was popularized, so it makes sense." Moneymaker, president of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, claims that the creatures, also known as sasquatches, inhabit "many parts of California" and he has gotten close to them a few times. The BFRO says the most recent Bigfoot sighting was in Humboldt County in September.

"The question of 'which mythical creature best represents California' is a hairy one," Rogers tells the New York Post, "But we feel like it's time to 'sqautch the beef. It's not the Tahoe Tessie or El Chupacabra that generates buzz and interest from outdoor enthusiasts, it's Bigfoot." He adds that the bill "was originally intended to be a spot bill—which would disappear (like Bigfoot) when we amend it but given the heaviness of some of the challenges our state is facing, it has been a fun moment of levity for my colleagues and community." (More bigfoot stories.)