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On September 27, Governor
Newsom signed AB 2509 into
law, a bill sponsored by Cal-IPC sponsored. The bill was authored by Assembly Member Ash Kalra of San Jose, and Cal-IPC organized a coalition of
thirty land stewardship groups to sign on as supporters.
The bill defines “invasive
species” and requires the state’s Invasive Species Council to
prioritize exclusion and prevention practices to keep invasive species from
entering the state; early detection and rapid response to keep invasive
species of limited distribution from spreading in the state; and integrated
pest management for controlling invasive species already established in the
state. Originally, the bill also defined “integrated pest management” using
the University of California
definition, but a prior bill accomplished this goal earlier
in this year's legislative session.
These definitions and
commitments build a foundation for ever stronger state programs addressing
invasive species. If Prop. 4 passes, the state's Invasive Species Council
will receive $20 million to enhance programs. That $20 million is directly
attributable to Cal-IPC’s advocacy ― we were able to include the funding in
the bond bill that put the proposition on the ballot.
We have a lot more work to do
in Sacramento, supporting strong policy and funding for invasive plant
management. Thank you for your support! It makes our advocacy possible.
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