How you can go to bat for legislation to make the pallid bat an official symbol of California

Thanks to a Bay Area wildlife ecologist and a 12-year-old girl, California might get its own official state bat this year — the pallid bat.

On Feb. 17, state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-San Fernando Valley, introduced Senate Bill 732 to name the pallid bat as the California State Bat. It was the culmination of six years of effort, starting with ecologist Dave Johnston and ending with 12-year-old Naomi D’Alessio.