State seeks comment on how to better notify neighbors of spraying. Grayson took lead
The state will take online public comment on how neighbors should be notified when farmers spray pesticides.
Stanislaus County already is testing this idea with a pilot project in the Grayson area. It is one of four that will help the California Department of Pesticide Regulation devise a statewide system.
The workshops on June 27-29 will allow comment from farmers, their neighbors and other people interested in the issue.
The state already regulates pesticides through county agricultural commissioners. This includes permits for specific applications and training for the spray rig operators.
Leaders in the environmental justice movement have said better notice is needed to keep neighbors from being sickened.
“A simple web posting is all that we are asking for,” said Bianca Lopez, co-founder of Valley Improvement Projects, during a May 2021 protest near Modesto. “... It’s the least our ag commissioner can do to protect us.”
Pilot projects have launched also in Ventura and Riverside counties. Santa Cruz County will start one this summer.
The Grayson project is described on the website of the Stanislaus County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. An area resident can sign up for an email or phone notice about nearby spraying, including the date, location and type of chemical. The notice can be in English, Spanish, Hindi, Hmong or Portuguese.
The workshops will be hosted on Zoom by the UC Davis Center for Regional Change. They will be from 1 to 3 p.m. June 27, 10 a.m. to noon June 28 and 6 to 8 p.m. June 29. Spanish interpretation will be provided at all workshops.
The department is spending $10 million on the statewide system. Details on the workshops are at www.cdpr.ca.gov.
