No More Broken Promises

For decades, rural communities in California have carried the burden of toxic pesticides sprayed near their homes, schools and workplaces. Among the worst is 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), a cancer-causing fumigant widely used in agriculture. Generations of farmworker families and rural residents have lived with the health risks of this chemical in the very air they breathe.

When the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) recently released its final draft on 1,3-D, many hoped that long-awaited protections would finally come. Instead, the draft was another betrayal. The DPR again failed to act with the urgency required to protect human health.

Rather than following the science, the agency has continued to bow to industry pressure. Families who live, work and send their children to school near fields were left with the same message they’ve heard for years: Your health is less important than agribusiness profits.

This is not the end of the fight. Communities across the Central Valley and beyond are rising up to demand stronger protections. Grassroots leaders, health advocates and frontline residents know the stakes are too high to remain silent. We refuse to accept a system that normalizes cancer-causing pesticides drifting into our neighborhoods and schools.

There is also reason for cautious hope. A major step forward is the launch of the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC). This statewide body will bring together impacted community leaders from across California to advise the DPR on pesticide policies and regulations. For too long, decisions have been made without the voices of those most affected: farmworker families, rural residents and environmental justice advocates.

The EJAC creates a long-overdue platform for those voices to be heard. By ensuring that impacted communities are not only included but also centered in policy discussions, the EJAC is an important touchpoint for transparency so that the DPR is more accountable. 

Stronger regulations, transparent decision-making and community-driven solutions can finally become a reality if the DPR listens and acts on the recommendations of this diverse advisory body.

At the same time, local community organizing is building the future we want to see. Californians for Pesticide Reform is advancing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) campaign in the Fresno Unified School District. 

Unlike fumigants such as 1,3-D, IPM offers safer, healthier and proven alternatives for managing pests without exposing children and staff to toxic chemicals. By shifting away from chemical dependency and toward prevention-based strategies, schools can become models for how California can grow healthier environments.

But this work cannot succeed without the voices of parents and community members. Change comes from the ground up, and it is only through collective action that we can shift practices in our schools and neighborhoods.

California has a choice to make. Will we continue down a path that prioritizes pesticides and profits over people’s lives, or will we finally invest in healthier, community-led solutions that protect our most vulnerable?

The DPR’s failure on 1,3-D is yet another reminder of the urgent need for change. With EJAC opening new doors for accountability at the state level and community campaigns such as IPM showing us a safer way forward, the time to act is now.

The struggle for environmental justice is far from over. But every voice, every parent and every community member who stands up brings us closer to the California we deserve—one where community well-being is a priority.