When thinking about California, most people don't imagine wolverines. But for centuries, this elusive predator was abundant in the Golden State — and now, one politician is trying to bring them back.

• Pesticide bill. California’s state Assembly voted for a moratorium on the use of paraquat, a toxic herbicide some studies linked to Parkinson’s disease in farmworkers and nearby residents.

Friedman, Gabriel, Lowenthal, Holden, Rivas, Allen push bills to protect children, farmworkers, and all

Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Burbank, is pushing a bill to ban the herbicide paraquat, which has been linked to a 64% increase in the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Burbank, is pushing a bill to ban the herbicide paraquat, which has been linked to a 64% increase in the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Friedman’s AB 1963 would ban paraquat starting on Jan 1, 2025, a chemical she says is “easily the most toxic herbicide still in use in California today.”

The California Assembly passed the Room to Roam Act recently, bringing improved statewide wildlife connectivity closer to reality. Authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, A.B. 1889 is a first-of-its-kind bill that would require local governments to consider and implement measures to protect wildlife connectivity as part of their general plan. The proposed legislation encourages better planned development with wildlife-friendly fencing, lighting and other ways to promote wildlife movement.

Legislators reached the first deadline of the 2023-2024 legislative season last week—passage of bills out of their house of origin. As the name implies, this refers to Assembly bills working their way through the Assembly, and Senate bills moving through the Senate, culminating with floor votes which concluded last Friday, May 24th. This period is marked as the crossover, where the bills that passed off the floor of their house of origin, move to the other house for the review process to begin again.

California is moving closer to banning paraquat, a weed killer linked to Parkinson's disease, after a key legislative committee approved the measure.

Carey Gillam reports for The New Lede.

In short:

Another good test of oil’s viscosity is coming up. Assemblymember Laura Friedman was walking the Assembly floor with a checklist Thursday afternoon as she seeks 41 votes for her AB 3155, which would hold oil companies liable for certain respiratory and prenatal ailments within 3,200 feet of a well unless its owner has shown they’re using the best available technologies to prevent air, soil and water pollution. Oil and labor were heavily lobbying against it. More on that tomorrow.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Assembly today passed the Poison-Free Wildlife Act, which would create stronger protections for wildlife unintentionally harmed or killed by toxic rat poisons. Assembly Bill 2552 now awaits state Senate approval.