Wow, that is interesting. Basically they were an existing species with no real separate genetic identity? Cool.
I think more that we were known as the golden state and the grizzly bear was our official animal and they merged the two things.
Wikipedia: The bear has been a symbol of the state of California dating back to its early days as the California Republic; the state flag displays the image of a bear. The bear, therefore, was seen as a fitting mascot for the University of California. One of the first times the bear was used as a symbol of the university was in 1895 when the California track team went east to compete against the national powers of Princeton, Yale, Pennsylvania, and Chicago. The track team brought along with them a blue banner with an outline of a bear in gold; it became took on the air of a good luck symbol since the "upstart" team from California triumphed at the meet. Charles Mills Gayley was inspired to write the song "The Golden Bear", which is currently the oldest song in the University of California Marching Band's repertoire. At that time, the athletic teams of the University of California have officially been known as the Golden Bears.
