In a win for wildlife, Governor Newsom signed AB 1788 into law on Sept. 29, which would ban the use of deadly second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, the rat poisons which kill mountain lions, wildlife, and household pets.
Entitled the California Ecosystems Protection Act of 2020, it adds to existing law. The bill was introduced by Assembly member Richard Bloom and co-authored by Laura Friedman and Henry Stern, all from Southern California.
There are exemptions, such as allowing them if used by a trained government agency employee for public safety issues such as rat and insect infestations, offshore island to combat non-native species, research purposes and limited “agricultural activities” such as in a warehouse that is self-contained.
Los Padres Chapter Vice Chair Jim Hines, who also leads the Sierra Club California Wildlife Team, was the Sierra Club lead on lobbying for this bill’s passage. Other groups and the public have also been lobbying for it to pass for over two years.