Laura Deehan
State Director, Environment California
[email protected]
Statement: New action to save California bees
Media Contacts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California’s agriculture will be safer for bees as we ring in the new year, following the Pollinator Protection Act going into effect on Wednesday. The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2023, bans over-the-counter sales of bee-killing pesticides in the state. As of the beginning of 2025, California is one of 12 states to pass legislation to restrict the sale of neonicotinoids (neonics).
California is home to 1,600 native bee species, all of which face drastic population declines partly as a result of neonics and other pesticides. Neonics are 1,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT. Sublethal doses cause immune deficiencies and disorientation, making it hard for bees to forage, fly, return to their hive and complete other essential tasks such as ridding themselves of parasitic varroa mites.
Environment California and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sponsored the bill and the effort was led by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer Kahan. Prior to the bill’s signing, Environment California built support across the state and delivered 35,000 petition signatures to Gov. Newsom urging him to sign the bill.
In response to the law going into effect, Environment California State Director Laura Deehan released the following statement:
“As we humans celebrate the new year, it’s also a new day for California’s bees. Taking neonics off store shelves promises a safer Golden State for our vital pollinator populations. I’m grateful that this law is finally going into effect, and thrilled that one in four Americans now lives in a state that has taken action to save the bees.”
Bill author, Rebecca Bauer Kahan stands with supporters of the new law to save the beesPhoto by Staff | TPIN