California beekeepers lost nearly 40 percent of their hives in 2015, a rate that was twice the national average; mounting research points to the use of neonicotinoid pesticides as the cause of widespread bee colony collapse. More than 70 of the 100 species of crops that feed 90% of the world are pollinated by bees. Bees are an indicator species, and when they die, so do other plants and species. SB 1282 (Leno) would have protected pollinators by informing retail consumers about plants and seeds that have been treated with neonicotinoid pesticides, indicating that they may harm bees.

Bill info from the legislature