Senate OKs Bill on Official State Dirt

The Senate reversed itself Thursday and passed a bill by Sen. Dick Montieth (R-Modesto) on a 33-1 vote that would make “San Joaquin soil” the officially recognized state dirt of California.

The bill was rejected earlier when it got snagged in a partisan squabble. Other states with officially sanctioned dirt include Oklahoma with “port silt loam” and Michigan with “kalkaska sand.”