| It was quite an eventful week this past week up in Sacramento. There were two bills that we, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, were interested in. One passed and is at the Governor’s office, hopefully to be signed by him within the month. The other bill failed, likely turned into a two-year bill, hopefully to be reconsidered for next year. AB 1788, which would limit the use of 2nd generation anti-coagulant rodenticides, passed both the Senate and then the Assembly in the final days of the legislative session. This is already better news than last year where the bill failed to get out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Governor now has 30 days to sign the bill into law. This very sensible bill, with exemptions should strong rodenticides be needed in special situations, will protect important predators that keep in balance the Los Cerritos Wetlands and open spaces throughout California. 2nd generation rodenticides are bad because they make their way up the food chain and kill raptors, mountain lions, bobcats etc. when those predators consume poisoned rats, mice and other rodents. AB 1788 being signed into law would help the raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands, since they too are at risk from eating rodents that have been poisoned or killed by rodenticides. Kudos to Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, Senator Lena Gonzalez, and Senator Tom Umberg for voting in favor of AB 1788 (sad that local Assemblymember Tyler Diep voted no). These rodenticides have been wreaking havoc on the mountain lions of the Santa Monica Mountains (including the famous mountain lion of Griffith Park), not to mention the many, many owls, hawks, and eagles that have been harmed by their consuming of mice and other rodents who carry this harmful rodenticide in them and then are consumed. I’ll spare you the terrible photos of charismatic predators which have been killed that way, but it is not pretty and needs to stop. I know from personal research how very heavily the pesticide industry lobbied against this bill this year and last. Let’s hope Governor Gavin Newsom does the right thing and puts his signature on the bill. Please do two things. 1) Send a quick note of thanks to Patrick O’Donnell, Lena Gonzalez and Tom Umberg. 2)Send a note to Governor Newsom telling him to sign SB 1788 into law. Of course, in these modern times, all of these legislators also have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts which is another way to reach them, and thank them, if you prefer.It won’t take more than a few minutes and the charismatic raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands and beyond will thank you. SB 54 Another bill (that didn’t move forward to the Governor’s desk), was a really groundbreaking bill that would have transformed how we deal with single-use plastics in California. SB 54 would have required that packaging and products be reduced (single-use items swapped out for reusable), composted or recycled. The long term goal would be a 75% reduction of the waste generated from single-use packaging and products offered for sale or sold in the state, through source reduction, recycling, or composting by 2030. This would have addressed the plastic pollution and trash crises at both ends–both before a product is ever created or purchased, and after a single-use item is ready for disposal. It’s too bad it didn’t pass, since we are drowning in plastic, as it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, ends up in the stomachs of sea birds, and even in the fish we eat. On the other hand, it was truly a groundbreaking bill, with lots of special interest opposition and it may well take another year (or more) to get it over the finish line. Cheers again to Patrick O’Donnell, Tom Umberg and SB 54 Coauthor Lena Gonzalez for voting yes. These can’t be easy votes, but their votes in favor of SB 54 bring to mind that moving saying “you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. Make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today.”I am grateful to have such forward thinking legislators representing me in Sacramento and I hope you are too. Sincerely,Elizabeth Lambe, Executive Director Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust |
| It’s Coastal Clean Up MONTH! Traditionally, the California Coastal Commission hosts a Coastal Cleanup day in September. It’s a wonderful day where organizations up and down California’s coast sponsor cleanups from San Diego to Eureka. Thousands of people turn out to clean up their local beaches, parks and streams. When you clean up your neighborhood, local park and street you are helping to protect our coast and local wetlands. Trash travels through storm drains, creeks, and rivers to become beach and ocean pollution. This year, for safety reasons, there are no large, centrally organized cleanup sites. Instead, cleanups will be self-guided and close to home. You are urged to practice physical distancing, and strictly follow local ordinances. The Coastal Commission’s How-To Guide includes additional safety tips. Cleanups are happening every Saturday in September. If Saturdays don’t work for you, don’t let that stop you! You can clean up any day, any time. What a great way to spend time with your family (or whoever is in your “bubble”) and make the world a better place. If possible, you are asked to report your cleanup by recording data on the CleanSwell app or by completing this form. (You can also use that form to enter the Most Unusual Item Contest.) All cleanups in September will be included as part of Coastal Cleanup Month. After your cleanup, take a 5 minute survey and you will get a coupon for free chips and guacamole from Rubio’s and be entered into a prize drawing. Thank you for staying safe, cleaning your local beach or park, and protecting the coast! #CoastalCleanup #ProtectYourHappyPlace |
| Long Beach Gives is just around the corner and we are proud to be a part of it! The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is proud to be a part of Long Beach Gives which is a 24-hour online giving day. This annual fundraising event is a fun and easy way for Long Beach (and surrounding cities) to give together. It facilitates having donors and nonprofits come together to improve the quality of life and create positive change for Long Beach. The goal ofLong Beach Gives is to inspire individuals and businesses in our community to make a difference in the exemplary work of the 150+ local, participating nonprofits. And this year that includes the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. We are honored and excited to be involved. Last year was the first year of Long Beach Gives and the outpouring of support helped surpass the initial goal by over 300% in raising over $822,000 for 93 local organizations. Long Beach Gives is returning on Thursday, September 24, 2020 with a one million dollar goal! We, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, are committed to raising $8,000 through Long Beach Gives,which will support our work educating the public about the value of wetlands and advocating for their protection. The first day you can donate to us via Long Beach Gives is September 17th. However, in the meantime we are looking for folks who want to help us raise funds towards our goal by becoming a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Fundraisers are members of the community, board members, or businesses who raise funds on behalf of causes they care about. They create custom fundraising pages on the Long Beach Gives website and share their personal fundraising appeal to their network of friends and family. Last year, these individuals, families, and groups of supporters helped to raise over $822,000 to lift up their neighbors and celebrate causes they believe in. If you might be interested in helping us raise funds via the Peer-to-Peer fundraising (it’s easier than you think) or just need more information, send an email to Bridget and she can walk you through it and answer any questions you may have. |