AB 2364, as introduced, V. Manuel Pérez. State amphibian: California red-legged frog.
Existing law establishes the state flag and the state’s emblems, including, among other things, the poppy as the official state flower, the California redwood as the official state tree, and the California desert tortoise as the official state reptile.
This bill would establish the California red-legged frog as the official state amphibian.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) The California red-legged frog is the largest native frog in
4the western United States and is found almost exclusively in
5California with a few sightings in Baja California and Mexico.
6(b) The California red-legged frog is particularly well known
7as a result of Mark Twain’s famous short story “The Celebrated
8Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” which featured the species.
P2 1To this day, the County of Calaveras holds annual frog-jumping
2contests as an important aspect of local history and tradition.
3(c) The California red-legged frog’s unique place in
California’s
4history extends as far back as the 19th century gold rush. Miners,
5known as forty-niners, consumed nearly 80,000 frogs per year,
6nearly eating the species into extinction.
7(d) While the California red-legged frog no longer has to fear
8the fork, the species continues to face myriad natural and manmade
9threats, including the introduction of invasive species into the
10California red-legged frog’s habitat, as well as habitat loss. In fact,
11according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,
12populations of the California red-legged frog have disappeared
13from nearly 70 percent of its historically known habitat. In May
141996, the species was listed as a federal endangered species, with
15the state also classifying it as endangered and subject to protection
16in June 1996.
17(e) Declaring the California red-legged frog as the official state
18amphibian of California will
acknowledge the species’ important
19place in the ecology, culture, and history of California, as well as
20broadcast and reinforce the state’s commitment to protecting
21endangered species.
Section 422.7 is added to the Government Code, to
23read:
The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) is the
25official state amphibian.
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