California Assembly Bill AB1776 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1776AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 22, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fong (Coauthors: Senators Evans and Leno) FEBRUARY 17, 2012 An act to amend Section 422.5 of, and to add Chapter 29.5 (commencing with Section 7593.5) to Division 7 of Title 1 of, the Government Code, relating to state government. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1776, as amended, Fong. State government:  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtle. (1) 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  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtle as the official state marine reptile. (2) Existing law designates certain periods of time for specified purposes  , including, among other things, the first week in January as Braille Literacy Week   of celebration or recognition  . This bill would designate October 15,  2012   2013  , and every October 15 thereafter, as  Western  Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day.  This   The  bill would encourage public schools, state and federal agencies, nongovernmental agencies, fishers,  whale-watch   coastal  tour operators, and other interested stakeholders to engage in certain activities, as specified. 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) California is a coastal state that is dedicated to the protection of ocean resources, fisheries, and marine wildlife. (b) Sea turtles, fish,  seabirds,  and marine mammals are a central component of California's natural heritage and marine biodiversity. (c) The Legislature acknowledges that the Pacific leatherback  sea  turtle population has experienced a catastrophic decline over the past two decades and might be on the verge of  extirpation   extinction  . (d) The Legislature further acknowledges that Pacific  leatherbacks   leatherback sea turt   les  are among the most imperiled of any sea turtle population in any ocean basin on Earth and that populations of the Pacific leatherback  sea turtle  , a 100-million-year-old species that outlived the dinosaurs, have declined by approximately 90 percent in the last 25 years. (e)  Leatherbacks   Pacific leatherback sea turtles  foraging off the coast of California are part of a distinct Western  pacific   Pacific  breeding stock that nests on beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. (f) California's coastal waters are high-use foraging areas for summer nesters from this critically endangered population of  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtles, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. (g) Satellite tracking conducted over the past decade has determined that after nesting hundreds of individual  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtles swim more than 6,000 miles over 10 to 12 months to cross the Pacific to feed on jellyfish in California coastal waters every year. (h) The  leatherbacks'   Pacific leatherback sea turtles   '  trans-Pacific migration involved multiple years of migrating between California coastal waters during the summer and lower latitude wintering areas without returning to  western   Western  Pacific nesting beaches. (i) These movements and foraging strategies underscore the importance of and the need for ecosystem-based management and coordinated Pacificwide conservation efforts. (j) The Legislature supports efforts to recover and preserve the  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtle population in oceanic feeding and migration areas, which are identified as important strategies for their continued survival. (k) On February 26, 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service designated more than 16,000 square miles of California's coastal waters, and a total of nearly 42,000 square miles along the United States West Coast, as critical habitat to protect high-use foraging areas and primary prey species for the endangered  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtle under the federal Endangered Species Act. SEC. 2. Section 422.5 of the Government Code is amended to read: 422.5. (a) The California desert tortoise  (gopherus   (Gopherus  agassizii) is the official state reptile. (b) The  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtle  (dermochelys   (Dermochelys  coriacea) is the official state marine reptile. SEC. 3. Chapter 29.5 (commencing with Section 7593.5) is added to Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, to read: CHAPTER 29.5.  WESTERN  PACIFIC LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE 7593.5. (a) October 15,  2012   2013  , and every October 15 thereafter, is hereby designated as  Western  Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day. (b) The Legislature encourages California public schools to include  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtles  into   in  their teaching lessons and curriculum whenever possible. (c) The Legislature encourages state and federal agencies, nongovernmental agencies, fishers,  whale-watch   coastal  tour operators, and other interested stakeholders to establish and participate in a statewide, voluntary  Pacific  leatherback sea turtle watch to record sightings of the  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtle in California and West Coast waters. (d) The Legislature encourages state and federal agencies to build cooperative relationships with the  Western Pacific  island nations where  Western  Pacific leatherback sea turtles return to nest in order to increase awareness and conservation of this critically endangered species.  (e) The Legislature urges state and federal agencies to take proactive conservation measures and prevent further threats to Pacific leatherback sea turtles and their habitats.