Stop the Rollback on Rodenticide Protections

Barn Owls (by Teresa Cheng) are often the unintended victims of rodenticides.

What is Happening?

On September 24, 2025, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) held a hearing on new rules for anticoagulant rodenticides, the powerful rat poisons we fought to limit through recent state laws.

However, instead of strengthening protections, DPR is proposing a major rollback. Their plan would allow these poisons to be used for more than 100 days each year, reopening the door to widespread contamination. This goes against California’s commitment to protect wildlife, pets, and even children from these harmful chemicals.

Why Does This Matters?

Anticoagulant rodenticides are indiscriminate, bioaccumulative poisons. They don’t only kill rats, they poison owls, hawks, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and domestic pets, causing internal bleeding and long-term illness or death. In California, these poisons have been documented in coyotes, foxes, owls and hawks and many other raptors and carnivores that naturally control rodent populations.

California has already passed three critical wildlife protection laws between 2020–2023: 

• AB 1788 – First statewide restrictions on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides,

• AB 2552 (Poison-Free Wildlife Act) – Strengthened protections and mandated safer practices, and

• AB 1322 – Closed loopholes and updated labeling & enforcement.

DPR’s proposal undermines these laws by reopening pathways for routine, widespread poison use, without emergency justification.

What You Can Do? Send a Comment by November 8

Here is the form for the comment: https://cdpr.commentinput.com/?id=JsSRaG6NA

Tell DPR that

• No anticoagulant rodenticides should be allowed, except during a declared public health or environmental emergency (current law),
  

• No rollback of AB 1788, AB 2552, or AB 1322 is acceptable, and
  

• California must invest in ecological rodent control to protect raptors and predators, not more poison.

Talking Points to Include

• Anticoagulants are toxic and non-selective, killing the very wildlife that naturally controls rodents.
  

• DPR is legally obligated to protect wildlife, not poison it.
  

• Allowing >100 days of poison use ensures continued contamination of predators, pets, and ecosystems.
  

• Californians have already demanded poison-free solutions, so DPR must honor the law.
  

Thank you for raising your voice for owls, hawks, foxes, and all wildlife. Public pressure stopped these poisons before, and can do it again.

Take action on every level!

American Avocet and chick: Chris Overington

Dear SCVBA community,

The following Action Alerts are REALLY important, and altogether take just a few minutes for each action. Birds, wildlife and habitats depend on OUR VOICES and when we speak together, we are effective (see some of our recent successes below).

1. LOCAL: Coyote Valley Regional Connections Survey: Do you love birding in Coyote Valley? Please respond to the survey and let  the Open Space Authority know! (5 minutes)

2. STATE: Call your California  senator and your assemblyman - see our UPDATED Alert on SB 131 for more information. Interested in seeing how an unedited SB 131 could impact your area? Find your district’s impact implications here. It is easier than you think, takes only a few minutes, and is REALLY CRITICAL!

3. COUNTRY: The federal Roadless Area Conservation Rule has protected roadless forests since 2001, keeping them free from logging, road-building, and other industrial development. Now the Trump administration wants to strip protections from 45 million of those acres. Road-building and logging in roadless forests will fragment habitats; disrupt wildlife migration routes; introduce invasive species; and bring noise, dust, pollution, and human pressure deep into the quiet backcountry, threatening already vulnerable and endangered plants and animals.

We rarely ask you to comment on federal action , but now we are: Please COMMENT (https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FS-2025-0001/document) before  September 19, 2025. Please make a unique contribution - meaning it is not a copy of a form letter. You may incorporate any of the following into your own comment:

• Roadless areas protect intact habitat for over 1,600 wildlife species, including threatened and endangered species.

• Roadless areas maintain connectivity for wide-ranging species such as grizzly bears, wolves, and migratory birds.

• Roadless areas function as breeding areas that replenish wildlife populations, supporting hunting, fishing, and recreation over the long term.

• Roadless forests protect drinking water for 60 million Americans by safeguarding headwaters from sediment and pollution caused by roads.

• Roadless areas reduce flood risks by preserving natural floodplains and watersheds.

Updates /  Good News:

Mountain View -  Bird Friendly Design

Mountain View has adopted mandatory Citywide Bird Friendly Design Standards. The city council voted unanimously to accept our recommendations, which substantially strengthened the ordinance.  

Mountain View - Cuesta Park and Annex

A Well-attended Community Meeting in Mountain View showed overwhelming opposition to paving parts of Cuesta Park and Cuesta Park Annex and other parkland to construct Pickleball Courts. While development of Pickleball at Cuesta is not off the table, the City is now looking into a Public-Private partnership, potentially a parking lot  in an industrial area, away from residents and nature.

See MV Voice Story

Valley Water - Pacheco Dam  

After years of advocacy and raising awareness about the ecological and financial risks of the proposed Pacheco Dam expansion, the Valley Water Board of Directors voted on August 26, 2025, to indefinitely suspend the project.

Together with many partner organizations, SCVBA has consistently called for an end to the Pacheco Dam Expansion Project. We wrote letters, issued action alerts, and reported in our newsletters. We submitted comments on Environmental Impact Reports, and testified before both the Valley Water Board of Directors and the California Water Commission (see quote here).

The proposed project threatened to destroy critical wildlife habitat, drown miles of stream corridor and rare sycamore forest, flood part of Henry Coe State Park, and saddle the public with billions in costs.

A decisive moment came in July 2025, when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation denied Valley Water’s request to import Central Valley Project water into the reservoir. This rejection effectively undermined the project’s viability, eliminating key opportunities for partnership and federal funding.

This outcome is a major victory for endangered species, open space, and fiscal responsibility. It demonstrates the power of collective action to protect our environment.

Special thanks to our EAC member and Sierra Club Loma Prieta advocate Katja Irvin for her leadership and guidance. See San Jose Spotlight and Mercury News stories.

Santa Clara County - Harry Road

In June, the County Planning Commission halted processing of the Gavello Glen Builder’s Remedy project on Harry Road because the application was incomplete and missing required planning documents. The applicant appealed this determination. We sent a joint letter to the commission, which ultimately decided to deny the appeal.  

Housing is undoubtedly needed in our region, but like other Builder’s Remedy proposals, the Harry Road project would have been pure sprawl into rural, agricultural land between Alamitos and Calero Creeks. The Bay Area Greenprint identifies the site as “very valuable habitat” for threatened and endangered species, while the Conservation Lands Network map highlights the portion nearest Alamitos Creek as “essential to conservation goals.” A 2019 UC Santa Cruz study also documented bobcats using the site as a corridor between the two creeks. Fire hazards and seismic risks added to the long list of concerns about building in this location.

Although these environmental and safety concerns are serious, the Commission’s decision was based solely on the application’s failure to meet required deadlines.

We thank Planning Commissioners Levy, Escobar, Chang-Hetterly and Cohen for their diligence and vote.

Thank you for supporting our conservation work, and protecting birds and their ecosystems!

Thank you,

Shani

August Update - SB 131 fixes

Action Alert: Don't Repeat Fairchild toxic history by the Bay: Fix SB 131 to Protect Communities, Wildlife, and California’s Future

California’s environmental protections are under attack. In June, the legislature rushed through SB 131, a sweeping rollback of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — our state’s foundational law for public input, transparency, and environmental review.

Why this matters

Silicon Valley knows all too well the dangers of unchecked “advanced manufacturing.” Fairchild Semiconductor’s toxic plume poisoned San José groundwater for decades, leaving behind one of 23 Superfund sites in Santa Clara County — the most in the nation. At Lehigh Cement in Cupertino, mercury and selenium polluted air and water for years before action was taken. These disasters happened because oversight came too late.

Now, SB 131 threatens to repeat these mistakes by:

• Exempting “advanced manufacturing” projects (including semiconductor plants, lithium recovery, plastics incineration, fertilizer plants, aerospace production, and more) from CEQA review.
  
  

• Excluding critical habitats for endangered and rare species from protection, undermining California’s 30x30 conservation goals.
  
  

• Silencing communities by stripping away the public’s right to know about and weigh in on toxic projects near homes, schools, and natural lands.
  
  

Without CEQA review, endangered species like California condors, mountain yellow-legged frogs, and gray wolves lose vital habitat protections — and frontline communities lose safeguards against toxic pollution.

The good news: its not too late (if we act)

Legislative leaders promised a cleanup bill this session to fix SB 131’s worst flaws — but they will only act if they hear from us now.

In Santa Clara County, Senators Becker and Cortese, and Assemblymembers Ahrens, Lee, and Berman voted for SB 131 - they especially need to hear from constituents.

PLEASE Make three quick calls today.

1. Call your State Senator

• Senator Dave Cortese (District 15)
   Capitol Office Phone: (916) 651- 4015 Senator Dave Cortesesenate.ca.gov
  
  

• Senator Josh Becker (District 13)
   Capitol Office Phone: (916) 651- 4013

Ask them to sign onto Senator Blakespear’s cleanup letter (via Brynn.Cook@sen.ca.gov).

2.  Call your Assemblymember

California State Assembly

• Assemblymember Marc Berman (District 23)
   Capitol Office Phone: (916) 319-2023 

• Assemblymember Alex Lee (District 24)
   Capitol Office Phone: (916) 319-2024 

• Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (District 26)
   Capitol Office Phone: (916) 319-2026 

Ask them to join the SB 131 cleanup letter, now open to Assembly Members.

3.  Call Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire at (916) 651-4002

• Thank him for promising to fix SB 131, and urge him to honor his word before the session ends September 12.

• Suggested words:
   “Please follow through on your commitment to fix SB 131 by restoring CEQA protections for endangered species habitat and removing the advanced manufacturing exemption. California’s communities and wildlife depend on it.”

Find your legislators here: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

Phone calls are most effective. Follow up with an email if you can.

Don't Pave Over Cuesta Park!

Pygmy Nuthatch: Deanne Tucker

Don’t Pave Over Cuesta Park!

What is happening?

The City of Mountain View is considering paving over parts of Cuesta Park and the Cuesta Park Annex to build pickleball courts - at the expense of beautiful green open space and valuable wildlife habitat.

A community meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center, 201 S. Rengstorff Ave.

Why is this important?

Cuesta Park is the green heart of Mountain View and a regionally important park. It is well-loved for picnics, games, peaceful strolls, bird watching, and simply enjoying nature without programmed activities. In a city that is becoming increasingly dense, unprogrammed green spaces are more vital than ever for both people and wildlife.

Together with the Cuesta Park Annex, Cuesta Park forms a rare undeveloped island of habitat in the heart of Mountain View. This green refuge supports a variety of birds, including red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and great blue herons. One hundred and fifteen species of birds have been observed here in the past five years. The area also supports Mountain View’s biodiversity and sustainability goals by providing habitat, cooling the urban heat island, and storing carbon.

Cuesta Park and the Annex are beloved gathering places for local dog owners, many of whom enjoy walking and exercising their dogs here. This informal use builds community connections and gives both people and pets access to safe, natural space.

Pickleball facilities are notorious for their sharp, repetitive noise, bright night lighting, and the extra vehicle traffic they attract, all of which would significantly disrupt the park’s wildlife and peaceful atmosphere.

Once open space is paved, it is nearly impossible to restore it to its natural state. This is a permanent decision that would erode one of Mountain View’s most valued natural assets.

What can you do?

• Attend the Public Meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center, 201 S. Rengstorff Ave.

• Write to the City Council. Send your email to:
  city.council@mountainview.gov, Pat.Showalter@mountainview.gov, Alison.Hicks@mountainview.gov, Ellen.Kamei@mountainview.gov, Lucas.Ramirez@mountainview.gov, Emily.Ramos@mountainview.gov, chris.clark@mountainview.gov, john.mcalister@mountainview.gov, Faryal.Saiidnia@mountainview.gov, john.marchant@mountainview.gov

• Talking Points for Your Communication with the City. Please say a little about yourself and why you care, and add any of the following:

  • Cuesta Park and the Cuesta Park Annex together provide the last large, contiguous green spaces in central Mountain View.

  • These areas support 115 species of birds that need this habitat to survive in Mountain View. It is important parkland to include in the City’s Biodiversity strategy.

  • Pickleball courts create significant noise impacts that can be heard hundreds of feet away, disrupting both wildlife and park users.

  • Night lighting for courts would introduce artificial light into a dark refuge, harming nocturnal animals and reducing the park’s natural character.

  • As density increases in Mountain View, it is critical to retain unprogrammed, natural spaces for both human well-being and biodiversity.

  • We should be reducing paved space, increasing parkland and canopy, and siting new sports facilities away from existing facilities or wildlife habitat.

  • Shoreline Park and its vicinity are  NOT viable alternatives.

  • Once open space is paved over, it is nearly impossible to restore it to its natural state.

  • Please expand the parkland “pie” rather than have residents compete for existing parkland slices.