State snake.

Senator Niello's proposal to designate the giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas) as California's official state snake recognizes a species found nowhere else in the world and adapted specifically to the Central Valley's wetland ecosystems. The designation would add the snake to California's collection of official state symbols, which includes the California poppy as the state flower, the California redwood as the state tree, and the California desert tortoise as the state reptile.

The giant garter snake, which can reach lengths of 64 inches, inhabits shallow streams, ponds, marshes, and agricultural areas throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley. The species uses irrigation ditches and canals in rice fields to move between water bodies, making it uniquely integrated with both natural and agricultural landscapes in California. According to the bill's findings, the snake's population has declined by more than 90 percent over the past century due to habitat loss, agricultural development, water diversion, pollution, and predation by non-native species. The species received threatened status under the California Endangered Species Act in 1971 and the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1993.

The bill requires a majority vote for passage and involves no direct costs or program changes, as it simply adds Section 422.6 to the Government Code to establish the official designation. The authors note that formal recognition as the state snake would highlight the species' role in California's ecology and agricultural systems while emphasizing the state's commitment to protecting endangered species.