Yesterday, at the request of Assemblymember Laura Friedman, AB 1573 entered the California Legislature’s “inactive file,” therein ending its run this legislative season. The Assemblymember’s transformative legislation was derailed by last-minute amendments on Sep. 1 as it passed through the California Senate Appropriations Committee. Sponsored by CNPS, the bill would have implemented California’s first requirement for the inclusion of low-water native plants in public and commercial landscapes. It also offered an exciting new policy imperative that native plant landscaping be used at a large scale to support the web of life amid the global biodiversity crisis.