Because of your generous support, this month, Social Compassion in Legislation was able to contract with Data Orbital, an A-rated national polling firm according to FiveThirtyEight, the polling aggregation website, to poll California registered voters on their level of concern with tropical and boreal deforestation and the State’s purchases that might contribute to deforestation.

Sacramento, May 20, 2021 – Today, AB 416 and AB 1282 both passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 416, the California Deforestation-Free Procurement Act and AB 1282, the California Pet Blood Bank Modernization Act, will help save our planet’s most important forests and the lives of our beloved companion animals, respectively.

We are excited to announce that Assemblymember Nazarian has made a formal budget request to fund incentivizing schools to serve plant-based lunches and beverages. Earlier this year, it was decided to make AB 558 into a two-year bill, meaning that the bill would not be heard in committee in 2021, but would be ready to move at the beginning of 2022.

Please share and spread the word to make these important calls.

SACRAMENTO – Today, California gubernatorial candidate John Cox kicked off a three-day, statewide campaign bus tour in which he is exploiting a live bear as a political prop.

Today, AB 1282, the California Pet Blood Bank Modernization Act, passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a vote of 9-1. The bill, introduced earlier this year by authors California State Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D- Santa Monica) and Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) and led by Social Compassion in Legislation, aims to bring transparency and oversight to animal blood banks in California by allowing community blood banks and phasing out captive-closed colonies. It unanimously passed the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on April 20th.

Today, AB 416 the Deforestation-Free Procurement Act passed the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee with a 4-1 vote.

Today, SB 376 – The Wildlife Trafficking and Trade Act passed the Senate Public Safety Committee with an unanimous vote. The bill was introduced earlier this year by Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles), along with cosponsors Social Compassion in Legislation and The Center for Biological Diversity, and already passed its first committee hearing on April 15.

We appreciate the over three hundred of you signing up to send support letters and calling legislators to make your voices heard for the animals! Please continue to encourage your friends and family to sign up on our website to stay informed and lend their support. We are still at the beginning of a two year legislative session and have lots of work to do, and will need your continued support.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, SB 376 The Wildlife Trafficking and Trade Act passed the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee with overwhelming support with a vote of 7-0.