On July 12, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation conducted a public hearing in Turlock on the notification of the exact locations of pesticide use.
Dozens of people attended from throughout Central California: Fresno, Visalia, Porterville, Greenfield, Monterey, Watsonville and more. The attendees are pushing for regulations to provide public access to pesticide information prior to application.
“Before the hearing, we called a press conference to explain our concerns and goals,” said Cristina Gutierrez, a member of Californians for Pesticide Reform of Fresno. “It was a very hot day, but we all were there for our rural communities.”
Speakers at the press conference included Bianca Lopez, co-founder of Valley Improvement Projects; Francisco Diaz with the League of Latin American Citizens; Mechelle Perea-Ryan, a family nurse practitioner; and Yanely Martinez, Central Coast organizing coordinator for Californians for Pesticide Reform and community leader of the Safe Ag Safe Schools coalition.
The speakers pointed out the importance of knowing beforehand what, when and where hazardous pesticides will be applied. They want to be able to take safety precautions against exposure to drifting pesticides. Currently, state and county regulators only reveal pesticide information after they’ve already been applied.
Organizers expressed serious concerns about chemicals being applied close to schools when children are present or close to public gatherings without any warning.
There were 40 testimonies asking to know the “exact location” of pesticide applications in their communities; among the speakers was four-year-old Elena Flores-Gutierrez and other young people. Only three people spoke against the petition to know the “exact location” of pesticide applications.
Some participants expressed the importance of getting information in languages other than English and Spanish.
