LOS ANGELES — Since P-22's death in December, the most famous mountain lion in Los Angeles has been honored with roadside tributes, half a dozen murals and an upcoming celebration of life in Griffith Park is expected to draw thousands.

Now, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, R-Calif., is pushing for a more permanent honor: a P-22 postage stamp.

In a letter sent Friday to the federal committee that recommends new U.S. stamps, Schiff wrote that P-22 was a "magnificent and wild creature, who reminded us all that we are part of a natural world so much greater than ourselves."

"When I think about what I would like to see on a postage stamp to represent the wild and beautiful aspect of Los Angeles, I think of P-22," Schiff said in an interview. "Representing Hollywood, I have a lot of very famous constituents, but none more famous than P-22."

Schiff recommended that the stamp riff on the image that made P-22 famous: a nighttime shot of the tawny cat prowling past the Hollywood sign, which was published in National Geographic.

The Hollywood sign turns 100 this year, so the stamp would honor two symbols of L.A., Schiff said.

If selected, P-22 would join the ranks of dozens of other California icons honored with stamps, including actors, authors, artists such as wildlife photographer Ansel Adams and sculptor Ruth Asawa, and flora and fauna, including the Sierra Nevada's giant sequoias and the California sea lion.

The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, an 11-member group that reviews thousands of submissions each year, will consider the P-22 proposal.

The committee meets quarterly and recommends about two dozen designs per year. In 2023, the Postal Service will unveil designs honoring pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, and the iconic yellow American school bus.

The committee's meetings are closed to the public, and in-person appeals are not permitted.

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