Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 11-12:30 PM
, Sacramento
California Senate Environmental Quality Committee Hearing on AB977, Giving Pesticide Control Back To Local Government, Public Comment.
California currently has a pesticide pre-emption law which says: “no ordinance or regulation of local government… may prohibit or in any way attempt to regulate any matter relating to the registration, sale, transportation, or use of pesticides.”
This law prevents towns, cities and counties from passing local pesticide laws to protect public health. This existing state law prevents Marin County from passing an ordinance to stop the aerial spraying of pesticides on the citizens of Marin.
State Assemblywomen Fiona Ma (San Francisco) has introduced AB 977 to repeal this state law, and thereby return control of pesticide sprayings to local government. The bill will be heard by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee at 11am, in Room 2040 of the State Capitol.
Here is what you can do to help pass AB977:
1) Attend the hearing in Sacramento on August 6, and speak in support of AB 977.
2) Contact your city council and county supervisors and urge them to pass a resolution in support AB 977. Here is the contact information for the Marin County Board of Supervisors:
Supervisor Charles McGlashan, 415-499-7331, CMcGlashan@co.marin.ca.us
Supervisor Susan Adams, 415-499-7331, sadams@co.marin.ca.us
Supervisor Hal Brown, Jr., 415-499-7331, hbrown@co.marin.ca.us
Supervisor Judy Arnold, 415-499-7331, jarnold@co.marin.ca.us
Supervisor Steve Kinsey, 415-499-7331, skinsey@co.marin.ca.us
3) Contact your state elected officials and ask them to cosponsor and support AB 977 in the State Senate.
Senator Migden, 415-479-6612, senator.migden@senate.gov
Assemblyman Huffman, 415-479-6612, assemblymember.Huffman@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblyman Leno, 415-557-3013, assemblymember.Leno@assembly.ca.gov
4) Contact members of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and urge them to pass AB977:
Senator Joe Simitian (Chair), 916-651-4011, Fax: 916-323-4529
Senator George Runner (Vice-Chair), 916-651-4017, Fax: 916-443-4662
Senator Samuel Aanestad, 916-651-4004, Fax: 916-445-7750
Senator Ellen Corbett, 916-651-4023, Fax: 916-324-4823
Senator Dean Florez, 916-651-4016, Fax: 916-327-5989
Senator Shelia Kuehl, 916-651-4023, Fax: 916-324-4823
Senator Alan Lowenthal, 916-651-4027, Fax: 916-327-911
Tuesday August 5, 2008, 3-5 PM, Sacramento
Public (Input) Scoping Meeting For Light Brown Apple Moth Eradication Program, Environmental Impact Report, 1220 N Street (Auditorium), Sacramento.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the eradication of the light brown apple moth (LBAM).
As part of the process of preparing that PEIR, CDFA is legally obligated to conduct public hearings to hear public comments on alternatives to, concerns with, and the potential health and environmental effects of the their eradication plans. All of these public comments will have to be responded to, and addressed, in their final document and plans for going forward!
If you want to speak to your concerns on the record, please consider attending this hearing.
Please keep in mind that you do NOT have to attend this hearing to have a say in this matter. It is equally if not more valuable for you and as many other people as possible, to write up your concerns and send them to the CDFA! Again, all of your written concerns will have to be responded to and addressed by the CDFA. But, there is a deadline for submitting your comments!
Your written comments must be sent via email by August 19, to Jim Rains, at jrains@cdfa.ca.gov.
Alternatively, you can fax your comments by August 19, to Jim Rains at 916-654-1018.
Or, you can send your comments in a physical letter that must arrive by August 19 to: Jim Rains, Staff Environmental Scientist, California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 9581.
Monday August 4, 2008, 7-8:30 PM, Larkspur
The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Lawn Chemicals–Film plus Q and A Discussion, Lark Theatre, 549 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur.
Pesticide Watch will be airing the film The Truth about Cats, Dogs, and Lawn Chemicals, which highlights the dangers to pets of using lawn chemicals. The film is an exposé of the dangers that everyday chemicals pose to our pets, and ultimately, our bodies. Increasingly, these pesticides are linked to cancers, birth defects, neurological and reproductive disorders.
An educational panel and Q&A will follow the film, hosted by Pesticide Watch Education Fund, Search for the Cause, and Stop the Spray Marin. Suggested donation $8. Please call (916) 216-1082 for more information.
STOP THE SPRAY LIVE! Benefit Concert to Stop Aerial and Ground Pesticide Spraying, Sunday June 8th
12:30-6:00 pm. MOMAS will have a children’s section set up at the event with a bouncy house, face-painting, crafts as well as letters on hand for you sign (for your elected officials) and MOMAS literature. Please join us for this exciting event featuring artists Bob Weir, Maria Muldaur, David Pack of Ambrosia, Larkin Gayle, Austin de Lone, Phat Barbies, Bob Hill Band, Jessie Kincaid, PILAR, The Shamanic Cheerleaders and special surprise guests. Hear from special guests, celebrity environmentalists and elected officials. $20 General Admission, $10 Students, $100 Priority Seating, $500 Premiere Seating (front rows) and Back Stage Party with artists and leaders
Letter Writing Campaign Party, on Thursday, June 5th at Corte Madera Town Park. Thank you to all those mothers and kids who came out! Because of you we were able to prepare over 100 letters that will be mailed to our elected officials in Washington. In addition, we signed-up over 20 new members, with more than half asking to volunteer.
Golden Gate Bridge March on Saturday, May 31st. An estimated 1,000 concerned members of our communities in Marin, San Francisco and the East Bay came out to show their support. Together we formed a line that spanned the length of the bridge! Cheers and honking from passing cars was proof of the growing concern and support we have on this issue.
MOMAS tabled and marched at the Mill Valley Memorial Day Parade. We passed out over 400 pieces of literature, and several hundred MOMAS buttons. We were able to sign up 50 more members, which has increased our membership to 250.
May 10th – Mothers’ Rally to Stop the Spray in Corte Madera
Mothers, children and families from around the Bay Area converged on Saturday, May 10th, at 10:00 am at Corte Madera Town Center to march and rally against the planned pesticide spray. There were approximately 400 people who attended, holding signs and waving banners, shouting, “Stop the Spray” as they marched to Corte Madera Town Park and rallied. Speakers included (but were not limited to) Paul Schramski, the state director for Pesticide Watch, Judi Shils, Executive Director for Search for the Cause, Lisa Krausz, chair and co-founder of Mothers of Marin Against the Spray (MOMAS), Carole Midgen, Mark Leno, Joe Nation, Charles McGlashan (Marin County Board of Supervisors) and Sarabenet Sequeira, a pediatrician with Pediatric Alternatives of Mill Valley. Mothers are quickly gaining strength, numbers and momentum in speaking out against the spray. In less than two weeks, the newly formed Mothers of Marin Against the Spray (MOMAS) has grown from four founding members to over ninety, many of whom signed up to get involved with MOMAS at the march. The rapid growth of MOMAS roughly parallels the growth of another mothers’ group that formed recently in San Francisco: Play Not Spray.
Mom’s Forum On Aerial Pesticide Spraying – May 5th, 2008
MOMAS sponsored a forum addressing concerns over pesticide spraying for the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). Mothers and parents were able to get their questions answered as to the potential health impacts of this planned spraying, state and federal efforts to address those concerns and what people can do to change the state’s plans. Speakers included:
* Judi Shils, Executive Director, Search for the Cause
* Sarabenet Sequeira, M.D., Pediatrician with Pediatric Alternative in Mill Valley
* Nan Wishner, Chair of the Integrated Pest Management Task Force, City of Albany
* Paul Schramski, State Director, Pesticide Watch
* Charles McGlashan, Marin County Board of Supervisors
