BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2364 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 2364 (V. Manuel Pérez) As Amended March 26, 2014 Majority vote WATER, PARKS & WILDLIFE 10-3 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Rendon, Bocanegra, Fong, | | | | |Frazier, Gatto, Gomez, | | | | |Gonzalez, Gray, | | | | |Rodriguez, Yamada | | | | | | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| |Nays:|Allen, Dahle, Beth Gaines | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Establishes the California red-legged frog as the official state amphibian. Specifically, this bill : 1)States legislative findings and declarations regarding the California red-legged frog, its connection with California history, and its current status. 2)Designates the California red-legged frog as the official state amphibian. EXISTING LAW : 1)Establishes the state flag and names various state official emblems, objects, plants and animals. For example, the California desert tortoise is the official state reptile, the California redwood is the official state tree, the California quail is the official state bird, and the California gray whale is the official state marine mammal. 2)Lists the California red-legged frog as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The California red-legged frog is not listed under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) but is recognized as a Species of Special Concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. FISCAL EFFECT : None. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel. AB 2364 Page 2 COMMENTS : This bill names the California red-legged frog as the official state amphibian. The California red-legged frog, Rana draytonii, is the largest native frog in the western United States, and is endemic to California, with the exception of a few sightings which have been recorded in Baja California, Mexico. The species is currently protected as a threatened species under the federal ESA, and is considered a Species of Special Concern by the State of California. The red-legged frog has been extirpated from approximately 70% of its historic range. Currently, the biggest threats to its continued survival are habitat loss and invasive species, including non-native bullfrogs, which can outcompete and prey on the smaller red-legged frogs. Commercial harvest for frog legs in the late 1800s during the gold rush era may also have been a significant contributing factor to the species' decline. Other significant impacts include predation by non-native fish species introduced through past state fish stocking programs. Red-legged frogs utilize multiple habitat types, including aquatic, riparian, and upland habitats. They require breeding ponds or slow flowing streams with deep pools and vegetative material to reproduce, but also depend on upland habitats around breeding areas. As natural wetlands have been converted to other land uses, red-legged frogs have been known to sometimes adapt by colonizing agricultural stock ponds and similar structures. Red-legged frogs have largely been extirpated from the Central Valley, but continue to survive in the Coast Range and the Sierras, and can also be found in the Transverse Range. The red-legged frog played a role in California's cultural history, becoming famous as the frog featured in Mark Twain's, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The County continues to hold annual frog jumping contests which have become an important part of local history and tradition, though today bullfrogs, a non-native species, are generally used for the contest. The author of this bill notes that though a state symbol declaration does not confer any additional protections for the species, it does highlight the species' significance to the ecology and history of California. AB 2364 Page 3 Analysis Prepared by : Diane Colborn / W., P. & W. / (916) 319-2096 FN: 0003127