Outcry as State Rock Toppled

By: Annette Fuentes

Serpentine, California’s state rock, is about to be dethroned, and for those who didn’t know there was a state rock, this a teachable moment.

That is what geologist Garry Hayes, a professor of geology at Modesto Junior College is saying on his blog. There, he explains the significance of the stone and more importantly, unearths questions about why serpentine is the subject of legislation to remove it from its prominence as state mineral.

Since July, the issue has been making the rounds in cyberspace as geologists and others interested in the state’s environment have wondered what is motivating legislators to knock serpentine. The issue is that serpentine contains chrysotile asbestos, which is one type of asbestos, but not the one associated with lung cancer.

Hayes and Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters suspect politics. State Sen. Gloria Romero (D-East LA) sponsored the bill, SB 624, and has said the purpose is to protect people from health hazards of serpentine. But Hayes and Co. note that prime movers behind the bill are from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which consists of many law firms that specialize in lawsuits on behalf of victims of mesothelioma—asbestos-related lung disease.

Into the fray has jumped Jon Christensen, executive director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University, who happens to be writing a book about serpentine and its place in California history. As he said in a press release he jointly released with Hayes, “It is connected to the Gold Rush, earthquakes, plate tectonics, and habitat for California’s iconic spring wildflower displays, as well as endangered species.”

Romero’s bill passed the Senate in May and its prospects for passing the Assembly seem good—unless the questions raised by serpentine’s defenders and those curious about the lawyer lobby’s influence in the matter carry the day.