Amended in Assembly March 26, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2364

Introduced by Assembly begin delete Members end delete begin insert Member end insert V. Manuel Pérez begin delete and Bigelow end delete

February 21, 2014

An act to add Section 422.7 to the Government Code, relating to state government.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2364, as amended, 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:

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) The California red-legged frog is the largest native frog in
the western United States and is found almost exclusively in
California with a few sightings in Baja California and Mexico.

(b) The California red-legged frog is particularly well known
as a result of Mark Twain’s famous short story “The Celebrated
Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” which featured the species.
begin delete To this day, the County of Calaveras holds annual frog-jumping
contests as an important aspect of local history and tradition. end delete

(c) The California red-legged frog’s unique place in California’s
history extends as far back as the 19th century gold rush. Miners,
known as forty-niners, consumed nearly 80,000 frogs per year,
nearly eating the species into extinction.

(d) While the California red-legged frog no longer has to fear
the fork, the species continues to face myriad natural and manmade
threats, including the introduction of invasive species into the
California red-legged frog’s habitat, as well as habitat loss. In fact,
according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,
populations of the California red-legged frog have disappeared
from nearly 70 percent of its historically known habitat. In May
1996, the species was listed as a federal begin delete endangered end delete begin insert threatened end insert
species, with the state also classifying it as begin delete endangered end delete begin insert a species
of special concern end insert and subject to protection in June 1996.

(e) Declaring the California red-legged frog as the official state
amphibian of California will acknowledge the species’ important
place in the ecology, culture, and history of California, as well as
broadcast and reinforce the state’s commitment to protecting
endangered species.

SEC. 2.  

Section 422.7 is added to the Government Code, to
read:

422.7.  

The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) is the
official state amphibian.