Must-read recap: The New Lede's top stories

California passes law ordering paraquat review; California lawmakers pass bill banning food dyes in schools.

California passes law ordering review of paraquat weed killer

Efforts by some California lawmakers to ban the controversial weed killing chemical paraquat ended last week with passage of a law that keeps the chemical in use but requires a reevaluation by regulators within the next five years.

Backers of a ban cited scientific evidence linking paraquat to a range of health problems, including the incurable brain disease known as Parkinson’s, as a key reason to outlaw paraquat use in the state.

The California State Assembly earlier this year had approved what was referred to as a “moratorium” on paraquat that would have taken effect in January 2026 and provided for a process that have would have given state regulators an opportunity to reevaluate paraquat and potentially reapprove the chemical with or without new restrictions.

But state Senate amendments killed any moratorium or restriction on use. The bill, as passed, now only requires state pesticide regulators to complete a reevaluation of paraquat by January 2029.

California Assemblymember Laura Friedman said the fact that the legislature passed requirements for a regulatory reevaluation is still a win. (Read the rest of the story.)

California lawmakers pass bill banning food dyes in schools

California lawmakers last week passed a bill banning schools from serving foods with six artificial dyes linked to neurobehavioral problems in children.

“[The bill] would not ban specific foods or products, but rather encourage companies to make minor modifications to products sold in California and could help prompt a nationwide transition to safer alternative ingredients,” says a press release from the office of California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who introduced the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316) in March.

Governor Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto the bill, which passed the state legislature on Aug. 29 with bipartisan support. If approved, the bill will go into effect December 31, 2027.

The legislation is likely to have sweeping impacts throughout the US, since manufacturers are unlikely to make one version of a food product for California and another for other states, Gabriel noted at a press conference earlier this month. (Read the rest of the story.)