Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands, I’ve got some good news to share with you. Assembly Bill 2522, which would close the loopholes on anticoagulants in California by adding remaining “first generation” anticoagulants to California’s existing rodenticide moratorium, recently passed out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Thanks to all of you who called or wrote to Committee member Senator Lena Gonzalez, urging her to support that bill. Senator Gonzalez is already a well-regarded environmental champion and proved herself that again by voting yes on AB 2522. The majority of Los Cerritos Wetlands is located in her district. Sadly, Senator Janet Nguyen, whose district encompasses the Orange County side of Los Cerritos Wetlands, did not vote for the bill. That means we will have to work harder to educate her on the value of protecting fragile coastal species from harmful poisons. The next step for the bill is for review by the Committee on Appropriations. We will keep you apprised of its status, and likely call on you to help get it over the finish line. In the meantime, please take a moment to thank Senator Gonzalez. In other good news, California’s Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) was successfully protected from all the budget cutting going on in Sacramento. HCF is the only enduring source of funding for habitat conservation projects in California and has helped preserve thousands of acres of critical open space throughout our great State. HCF has protected more than one million acres of wildlife habitat in California, provided significant funding for parks and conservancies, and enabled the implementation of nature-based solutions to climate change. We are so happy the HCF survived the budget chopping block and want to express our sincere thanks to those who called or wrote key legislators asking they vote to protect it. Thanks for making a difference. Elizabeth Lambe Executive Director Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust |