Assemblymember Greg Wallis’ western Joshua Tree bill passes legislature, heads to Governor’s desk

PALM DESERT, CA (KESQ)- Assemblymember Greg Wallis announcing his Western Joshua Tree bill is headed to the governor's desk.

The bill, AB 1663, is intended to make the permit process easier for residents to remove or trim the trees located on their properties, while keeping protections in place for the species.

It also gives the California Department of Fish and Wildlife more flexibility to work with Native American tribes regarding cultural uses of Western Joshua Trees.

All while keeping the existing conservation protections in place for the trees.

“This bill changed along the way, but the goal never did: make this law work better on the ground for the people and communities who live alongside western Joshua trees every day,” said Assemblymember Wallis. “The final bill delivers practical improvements while keeping conservation protections in place, and I’m grateful that colleagues on both sides of the aisle came together to move these fixes forward.”

The bill earned unanimous bipartisan support in both houses of the Legislature.