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Contra Costa county Pesticide Use Reform

Parents for a Safer Environment volunteers have been working for 7 years and over 2,000 hours to encourage Contra Costa County Departments to try least toxic alternatives to pest control, particularly weeds and ground squirrel control, as other counties. We've effected signficant changes like stopping all the TruGreen ChemLawn and Orkin spraying on county grounds and finding a stellar contractor, Pestec, to use no spraying at all for all 123+ county buildings. However, we have a lot more to go and need your help with one e-mail and phone call.

Please e-mail the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor members and leave a phone message with up to 4 bullet points for a phone message or up to 7 points below if e-mailed, and your address to confirm your district if you live, work, play, or do any activities in the county. Staff doesn't ask questions when they answer the phone but only takes down as a tally how many people called about concerns about the "County pesticides issue." Each call represents hundreds of constituents who feel the same way. Your call makes a HUGE difference to how receptive they will be when we present these issues to the full Board.

E-mail Addresses of the 5 CC County Board of Supervisor Members:

You can address them by, Dear Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor Members Gioia, Uilkema, Piepho, Mitchoff, and Glover: (use e-mail addresses below).

John.Gioia@bos.cccounty.us; gayle@bos.cccounty.us; dist3@bos.cccounty.us; Dist4@bos.cccounty.us; dist5@bos.cccounty.us

Please see below, speaking or writing points, and always add that you'd like to see the county adopt or pass an Ordinance (law) that would hold county staff accountable to implementing or practicing sensible or safer pest control without risking public health and the environment.

(thank you for blind c.c.ing me or forwarding any e-mail or phone call you make. See PfSE's link to find your district and your representative's phone #:

http://www.pfse.net/currentprojects.shtml#supervisors

Talking Points

IPM Advisory Committee members to the Board of Supervisors should never be personally recruited by county staff who directly addresses pesticide usage in order to reduce the conflict of interest that has been sustained in the Advisory Committee over the past years.

County Departments should show how they have tried or at least investigated least toxic alternatives before choosing pesticides like other counties are doing.

County Departments should disclose using maps, by highlighting the location of 120 miles of roadside spraying and highlighting the 70 miles of creek banks and flood control channels being sprayed during the Spring and Winter rainy months each year.

When will the county prohibit the use of Bad Actor Pesticides by staff, the ones that are linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive damage, ground water contamination, and highly acute toxicity? Other Counties have stopped using bad actor pesticides but we are using over 4,000 lbs annually. (Santa Clara, Marin, San Francisco).

County Dept of Agriculture should not endanger non-target species by applying over 25,000 lbs of grains poisoned with anti-coagulants (rat poison) all over the county and above the ground, for ground squirrel control when other public agencies use traps. These same ground squirrels are rehabilitated by the Lindsey Wildlife Museum because they are considered CA native animals!

Why isn't our county posting a sign when pesticides are applied in areas where people and pets can come into contact with them such as along stretches (70 miles) of creek banks and flood control channels next to walking trails, in landscaping and turf shared by county and school districts, in open space where we go hiking with our children and pets, in empty lots where kids skateboard, roller-skate and ride tricycles and alongside roads where we take our families out for bike rides and jogs?

Why are we letting the county's Public Works Dept apply 12,000 lbs of pesticide products annually along creek banks, roadsides, empty lots, and the airport during the rainy seasons in our watersheds?

Why can't prioritize prevention like Santa Clara and S.F. Counties and get our pesticide usage below a thousand pounds annually since we have half the size of infrastructure compared to Santa Clara County.

Please assure that the three community seats on the IPM or Least Toxic Pest Management Committee are replaced with those community members who have proven to be supportive of community participation and supportive of change.

Please have Parents for a Safer Environment (PfSE) help in the selection of the Community Members for the IPM Advisory Committee since PfSE has been the only organization keeping apprised of the Count IPM Program for the last seven years and have the best interest of public health and the environment in mind.

For questions, please contact the Program Director, Susan JunFish at junfish(at)gmail.com or 925-283-4609.

E-mail addresses of Supervisors, Districts I through V:

John Gioia, Dist 1: Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, part of Pinole, and the unincorporated cities of East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, North Richmond, and Rollingwood. (District Map)
John.Gioia@bos.cccounty.us, 510-374-3231
11780 San Pablo Ave, Suite D, El Cerrito, 94530

Galye Uilkema, Dist 2: Moraga, Lafayette, Orinda, San Ramon, Danville, unincorporated areas of: Alamo, Canyon, Saranap, West of Main St in Walnut Creek gayle@bos.cccounty.us , 925-335-1046
3338 Mt. Diablo Boulevard Lafayette, 94549

Mary Piepho, Dist 3: Bethel Island, Blackhawk, Byron, Diablo, Discovery Bay and Knightsen, as well as Antioch, Brentwood, and Oakley. dist3@bos.cccounty.us , 925-820-8683
309 Diablo Rd. Danville, 94526

Karen Mitchoff, Dist 4: Concord, Pleasant Hill, Clayton, East of Main St, Walnut Creek, east of Main St) Dist4@bos.cccounty.us , 925- 527-7100
2151 Salvio St., Suite R Concord, 94520

Federal Glover, Dist 5: Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Martinez, Pinole, Hercules, Post Costa, Rodeo, Crockett. District V Map
dist5@bos.cccounty.us, 925-427-8138
315 E. Leland Rd. Pittsburg, 94565
Current Projects and committees looking for folks to provide input:

Oversee Contra Costa County's overuse of pesticides by the Departments of Public Works, General Services, and Agriculture. Public Works applies herbicides along 120+ miles of roadside, 70+ miles of flood control channel/creek banks, empty lots and the Concord Airport. Department of Agriculture applies herbicides for invasive weeds in open space primarily and anticoagulant rodenticides for the Native California Ground Squirrel. Department of General Services has a contractor now, with the urging of PfSE, that only uses exclusion, prevention and eco-exempt methods for structural insect and rodent control. Their landscape contractor applies anticoagulants for gopher control.
See PfSE’s profiling of pesticides used by each department.
See PfSE’s graph showing the trend of pesticides used (by pounds) from 2004 to current for each department.

Co-sponsoring SB 394, the Healthy Schools Act of 2012 to restrict the use of the most dangerous forms of pesticides and application methods that would exposure students, staff, wildlife, and the environment. SB 394 would pertain to all public schools, including pre-schools and larger private child care facilities. Public Health emergencies can over-ride restriction of spraying, including the CDFA and MVCD's.

Evaluate the pesticides used in public landscapes and buildings as well as private facilities, used particularly by children and pregnant women. Work with school districts, child-care centers (preschools), towns/cities, and advocate reform. High School Interns are helping with these projects currently. We have helped train other communities to conduct toxicity evaluations and create documents that could be submitted to their corresponding school district during negotiations.

Create Wellness policies in Contra Costa County School Districts working with local PTA’s and other concerned parents. Present the risks and safer alternatives and help institutionalize the passing of written policies for Integrated Pest Management IPM), Least Toxic Cleaning Products & Indoor Air Quality, Nutritional Lunch and Snacks, Replacement of anti-bacterial soaps with least toxic soaps, Reduced Waste in the Lunchroom, and Sustainable food packaging, and Green Buildings.
We have facilitated the passing of written IPM policies in the Town of Moraga and the Moraga School District. Our public school district is the first in the county to adopt an IPM policy and the Town of Moraga IPM policy is also the first in the county to officially pass a written policy. Our town’s 3 parks do not use synthetic fertilizers, having switched to organic fertilizers, which do not emit to nitrous oxide, a potent green house gas that is over 200X more potent in capturing radiant heat than carbon dioxide.
We have presented to other school districts, providing powerpoint presentations on the toxicity of specific pesticides being used and safer methods. We have also introduced IPM practitioners and consultants to school districts and public agencies, provided samples of least toxic alternative products such as ant bait stations, gopher traps, and wasp nest mint oil sprays, facilitating the dramatic reduction in the use of risky pesticides and adoption of IPM practices.
We have conducted research in cleaning products toxicity of individual ingredients and provided recommendations on a variety of least toxic alternatives for cleaning in schools, including the recommendation and adoption one concentrated hydrogen peroxide product that has replaced a myriad of more toxic products. This product has been appreciated by custodians for effectiveness and convenience as well as lowering costs for the district.

Least Toxic Pest Control presentations to local service organizations, schools, hospitals, homeowner associations, health clubs, building management companies and public agency staff and politicians. Pests can be insects, weeds, rodents, fungi, mammals and microorganisms.
Since May of 2003, PfSE has provided 4 training conferences that have each received average ratings of over 4 on a scale of 4-5 from participants. 2 of the conferences were directed for training public agencies who were interested in learning more about least toxic pest management, or Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The CA Department of Pesticide Regulation provided continuing education units for our conferences that were attended by over 90 people in the first training and 50 in the second, hands-on field training for weed control. Experts were invited and hired to provide presentations and trainings both inside as well as out in the field using equipment for weed control. All trainings were conducted by PfSE volunteers.
PfSE Director has provided over 50 powerpoint presentations to many organizations, with no compensation unless donated. The feedback after the presentations have been exceptionally exciting since 2005 when presentations began to incorporate many photos and real examples of commonly used products and safer alternatives.

Education and Outreach at Community Fairs, Festivals, and Conferences. PfSE and volunteers of trained students, retirees, and other adults provide consultation on pest problems using least toxic alternatives.
We provide a tall display case of 20 fact sheets including some in Spanish for just about every pest problem imaginable for households inside and outside the home. We have a large display of over 30 least toxic alternative pest control items ranging from self-containerized ant bait stations using boric acid to mosquito larvae control bacteria. It’s easier for people to look for certain items that are recommended but also something they have visually seen and touched. We have a magnetic dart board to draw the kids and kids at heart to the table for a guaranteed win of a prize ranging from organic grocery delivered to their home to a package of ant bait station or hand held flip charts that show identify the “good” and “bad” bugs, safer alternatives for controlling pests or least toxic cleaning methods at home.
We also have some binders and videos available from past trainings/conferences as well as USEPA, Pesticide Action Network, North America, Californians for Pesticide Reform, and East Bay Municipal District publications to help inform potential activists ready to change the status quo in their community.

Work with neighboring communities who oppose the Contra Costa County Mosquito & Vector Control District spraying pesticides from trucks into the middle of neighborhood streets to kill adult mosquitoes, a procedure that has been shown by a major Harvard University School of Public Health study in 2006 to be ineffective at controlling mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus.
PfSE worked on a project in 2006 to inform the Contra Costa County Mosquito and Vector Control District Board of Trustees about the lack of evidence and the risk involved in spraying Resmethrin (a pyrethroid) and Piperonyl Butoxide from trucks into neighborhoods and near water bodies.
PfSE calculated the pesticide usage by the District, and profiled the toxicity characteristics of the products being applied in neighborhoods and near water bodies. The Director presented a powerpoint presentation to the Board of Trustees, accompanied by 23 members of the community who supported the cessation of “adulticiding,” or the spraying of pesticides into the air in attempt to kill adult mosquitoes. The least toxic alternative is using larvaecides and better yet, removing stagnant water sources. The 2006 Harvard School of Public Health study comparing the reproductive ability of Culex mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus in areas of adulticiding vs no adulticiding was presented. The CCMVCD staff could not refute the study nor had any study to support the effectiveness of adulticiding.
The CCMVCD Board of Trustees passed a resolution at a follow-up meeting focused on our presentation and concluded with a majority of votes that the “goal of CCMVCD would be to do zero adulticiding.” In addition, the CCMVCD would have to justify any adulticiding practices to the Board. PfSE considered this a partial victory, and a step in the right direction.
Due to lack of resources, we have not been able to do any more follow up work since 2006 except for a few letters to the District challenging their lack of outreach to the community prior to adulticiding and not providing evidence that this continued method of treatment is effective. If we find funding, we wish to hire a project manager to work on both the county departments and the CCMVCD projects that entail large amounts of spreadsheet work and reviewing/commenting on documents. Oversight has made progress in both projects, particularly the county departmental IPM project, but with lack of resources, we cannot move as quickly, and in the worst scenario, our work may even go to waste instead of being built up to move to the eventual goal of institutionalized policy changes.

Assisting Churches to become Green and Sustainable. PfSE has assisted one local church in becoming greener and more sustainable by providing presentations, resources, least toxic alternatives and contact information to make it easier to make positive changes. We would like to expand our outreach and assist more facilities as our capacity increases. We need staff and funding to hire the staff to help with this.

Documentary Environmental Film, Food and Wine Nights to educate the community and mobilize individuals for effecting change at a personal level. PfSE co-sponsored the monthly “Green Rheem” film/wine nights from 2008-2010 with great attendance.
We showed about 15 films in the 2 years and when we began doing legislative work in 2010, we bowed out along with another sponsor who also found planning months events very time consuming. The organization that founded the event still continues the event, but showing only 3 films a year instead of the approximate monthly showing. Both PfSE and the other organization still help out at the events although no longer helping to prepare for them. The last sold ~ 110 tickets. With funding and increased capacity, PfSE would be delighted to get more involved with this project and turn it back to monthly showings with more high school student outreach. The last event drew over a dozen high school students from one environmental class.

Alternative to Driving Campaign: Educate and advocate for creating safer biking/walking lanes that connect developments to schools and shopping areas, encourage cleaner buses and support ridership, incorporate car-pooling programs at schools and for after school activities. Introduce GPS mapping on carpool board of potential riders so that people can easily carpool. PfSE wishes to work on school districts and after school programs, particularly the sport programs, to encourage carpooling instead of parents driving their children one by one along the same route in separate cars. We have been working on the sponsors of conferences to provide carpool boards as well as providing specific public transportation options.
This campaign has no funding, so the only progress we have made are with individual conference sponsors who sometimes agree to include a carpool board and transportation option info at the next conference.
We found that after school programs are concerned about being held liable in a lawsuit in case there’s an accident from carpooling. With increased capacity, we hope to address this concern and get unnecessary cars off the roads.

California State Legislation on reforming pest control in public schools and all child-care facilities in California. In 2010, PfSE worked with Senator DeSaulnier as Author, getting SB 1157 passed eight legislative committees and to the Governor’s desk for signature. PfSE conducted most if not all the literature research, securing over 28 endorsements from major environmental, health, and education organizations, secured and prepared all the experts for the hearings and press conference. The Governor vetoed the bill, however Senator DeSaulnier assured us that he wishes to work on this bill again because he believed that it had the best “karma” of any bill he’s seen.
PfSE worked on this bill with just a few interns and volunteers, working hundred hour weeks for many months. We will only lead legislation again when we have adequate funding and staff.

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Current Projects and Committees
Home Background Pesticides Current Projects & Committees Archives of Newsletters Environmental Hazards in Schools Press and News Releases Recipes for Safer Cleaning Recommended Businesses Environmental Topics Related Websites Donations Jobs Available Advisory Board Get Involved	Current Projects: Contra Costa county Pesticide Use Reform Parents for a Safer Environment volunteers have been working for 7 years and over 2,000 hours to encourage Contra Costa County Departments to try least toxic alternatives to pest control, particularly weeds and ground squirrel control, as other counties. We've effected signficant changes like stopping all the TruGreen ChemLawn and Orkin spraying on county grounds and finding a stellar contractor, Pestec, to use no spraying at all for all 123+ county buildings. However, we have a lot more to go and need your help with one e-mail and phone call. Please e-mail the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor members and leave a phone message with up to 4 bullet points for a phone message or up to 7 points below if e-mailed, and your address to confirm your district if you live, work, play, or do any activities in the county. Staff doesn't ask questions when they answer the phone but only takes down as a tally how many people called about concerns about the "County pesticides issue." Each call represents hundreds of constituents who feel the same way. Your call makes a HUGE difference to how receptive they will be when we present these issues to the full Board. E-mail Addresses of the 5 CC County Board of Supervisor Members: You can address them by, Dear Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor Members Gioia, Uilkema, Piepho, Mitchoff, and Glover: (use e-mail addresses below). John.Gioia@bos.cccounty.us; gayle@bos.cccounty.us; dist3@bos.cccounty.us; Dist4@bos.cccounty.us; dist5@bos.cccounty.us Please see below, speaking or writing points, and always add that you'd like to see the county adopt or pass an Ordinance (law) that would hold county staff accountable to implementing or practicing sensible or safer pest control without risking public health and the environment. (thank you for blind c.c.ing me or forwarding any e-mail or phone call you make. See PfSE's link to find your district and your representative's phone #: http://www.pfse.net/currentprojects.shtml#supervisors Talking Points IPM Advisory Committee members to the Board of Supervisors should never be personally recruited by county staff who directly addresses pesticide usage in order to reduce the conflict of interest that has been sustained in the Advisory Committee over the past years. County Departments should show how they have tried or at least investigated least toxic alternatives before choosing pesticides like other counties are doing. County Departments should disclose using maps, by highlighting the location of 120 miles of roadside spraying and highlighting the 70 miles of creek banks and flood control channels being sprayed during the Spring and Winter rainy months each year. When will the county prohibit the use of Bad Actor Pesticides by staff, the ones that are linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive damage, ground water contamination, and highly acute toxicity? Other Counties have stopped using bad actor pesticides but we are using over 4,000 lbs annually. (Santa Clara, Marin, San Francisco). County Dept of Agriculture should not endanger non-target species by applying over 25,000 lbs of grains poisoned with anti-coagulants (rat poison) all over the county and above the ground, for ground squirrel control when other public agencies use traps. These same ground squirrels are rehabilitated by the Lindsey Wildlife Museum because they are considered CA native animals! Why isn't our county posting a sign when pesticides are applied in areas where people and pets can come into contact with them such as along stretches (70 miles) of creek banks and flood control channels next to walking trails, in landscaping and turf shared by county and school districts, in open space where we go hiking with our children and pets, in empty lots where kids skateboard, roller-skate and ride tricycles and alongside roads where we take our families out for bike rides and jogs? Why are we letting the county's Public Works Dept apply 12,000 lbs of pesticide products annually along creek banks, roadsides, empty lots, and the airport during the rainy seasons in our watersheds? Why can't prioritize prevention like Santa Clara and S.F. Counties and get our pesticide usage below a thousand pounds annually since we have half the size of infrastructure compared to Santa Clara County. Please assure that the three community seats on the IPM or Least Toxic Pest Management Committee are replaced with those community members who have proven to be supportive of community participation and supportive of change. Please have Parents for a Safer Environment (PfSE) help in the selection of the Community Members for the IPM Advisory Committee since PfSE has been the only organization keeping apprised of the Count IPM Program for the last seven years and have the best interest of public health and the environment in mind. For questions, please contact the Program Director, Susan JunFish at junfish(at)gmail.com or 925-283-4609. E-mail addresses of Supervisors, Districts I through V: John Gioia, Dist 1: Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, part of Pinole, and the unincorporated cities of East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, North Richmond, and Rollingwood. (District Map) John.Gioia@bos.cccounty.us, 510-374-3231 11780 San Pablo Ave, Suite D, El Cerrito, 94530 Galye Uilkema, Dist 2: Moraga, Lafayette, Orinda, San Ramon, Danville, unincorporated areas of: Alamo, Canyon, Saranap, West of Main St in Walnut Creek gayle@bos.cccounty.us , 925-335-1046 3338 Mt. Diablo Boulevard Lafayette, 94549 Mary Piepho, Dist 3: Bethel Island, Blackhawk, Byron, Diablo, Discovery Bay and Knightsen, as well as Antioch, Brentwood, and Oakley. dist3@bos.cccounty.us , 925-820-8683 309 Diablo Rd. Danville, 94526 Karen Mitchoff, Dist 4: Concord, Pleasant Hill, Clayton, East of Main St, Walnut Creek, east of Main St) Dist4@bos.cccounty.us , 925- 527-7100 2151 Salvio St., Suite R Concord, 94520 Federal Glover, Dist 5: Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Martinez, Pinole, Hercules, Post Costa, Rodeo, Crockett. District V Map dist5@bos.cccounty.us, 925-427-8138 315 E. Leland Rd. Pittsburg, 94565 Current Projects and committees looking for folks to provide input: Oversee Contra Costa County's overuse of pesticides by the Departments of Public Works, General Services, and Agriculture. Public Works applies herbicides along 120+ miles of roadside, 70+ miles of flood control channel/creek banks, empty lots and the Concord Airport. Department of Agriculture applies herbicides for invasive weeds in open space primarily and anticoagulant rodenticides for the Native California Ground Squirrel. Department of General Services has a contractor now, with the urging of PfSE, that only uses exclusion, prevention and eco-exempt methods for structural insect and rodent control. Their landscape contractor applies anticoagulants for gopher control. See PfSE’s profiling of pesticides used by each department. See PfSE’s graph showing the trend of pesticides used (by pounds) from 2004 to current for each department. Co-sponsoring SB 394, the Healthy Schools Act of 2012 to restrict the use of the most dangerous forms of pesticides and application methods that would exposure students, staff, wildlife, and the environment. SB 394 would pertain to all public schools, including pre-schools and larger private child care facilities. Public Health emergencies can over-ride restriction of spraying, including the CDFA and MVCD's. Evaluate the pesticides used in public landscapes and buildings as well as private facilities, used particularly by children and pregnant women. Work with school districts, child-care centers (preschools), towns/cities, and advocate reform. High School Interns are helping with these projects currently. We have helped train other communities to conduct toxicity evaluations and create documents that could be submitted to their corresponding school district during negotiations. Create Wellness policies in Contra Costa County School Districts working with local PTA’s and other concerned parents. Present the risks and safer alternatives and help institutionalize the passing of written policies for Integrated Pest Management IPM), Least Toxic Cleaning Products & Indoor Air Quality, Nutritional Lunch and Snacks, Replacement of anti-bacterial soaps with least toxic soaps, Reduced Waste in the Lunchroom, and Sustainable food packaging, and Green Buildings. We have facilitated the passing of written IPM policies in the Town of Moraga and the Moraga School District. Our public school district is the first in the county to adopt an IPM policy and the Town of Moraga IPM policy is also the first in the county to officially pass a written policy. Our town’s 3 parks do not use synthetic fertilizers, having switched to organic fertilizers, which do not emit to nitrous oxide, a potent green house gas that is over 200X more potent in capturing radiant heat than carbon dioxide. We have presented to other school districts, providing powerpoint presentations on the toxicity of specific pesticides being used and safer methods. We have also introduced IPM practitioners and consultants to school districts and public agencies, provided samples of least toxic alternative products such as ant bait stations, gopher traps, and wasp nest mint oil sprays, facilitating the dramatic reduction in the use of risky pesticides and adoption of IPM practices. We have conducted research in cleaning products toxicity of individual ingredients and provided recommendations on a variety of least toxic alternatives for cleaning in schools, including the recommendation and adoption one concentrated hydrogen peroxide product that has replaced a myriad of more toxic products. This product has been appreciated by custodians for effectiveness and convenience as well as lowering costs for the district. Least Toxic Pest Control presentations to local service organizations, schools, hospitals, homeowner associations, health clubs, building management companies and public agency staff and politicians. Pests can be insects, weeds, rodents, fungi, mammals and microorganisms. Since May of 2003, PfSE has provided 4 training conferences that have each received average ratings of over 4 on a scale of 4-5 from participants. 2 of the conferences were directed for training public agencies who were interested in learning more about least toxic pest management, or Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The CA Department of Pesticide Regulation provided continuing education units for our conferences that were attended by over 90 people in the first training and 50 in the second, hands-on field training for weed control. Experts were invited and hired to provide presentations and trainings both inside as well as out in the field using equipment for weed control. All trainings were conducted by PfSE volunteers. PfSE Director has provided over 50 powerpoint presentations to many organizations, with no compensation unless donated. The feedback after the presentations have been exceptionally exciting since 2005 when presentations began to incorporate many photos and real examples of commonly used products and safer alternatives. Education and Outreach at Community Fairs, Festivals, and Conferences. PfSE and volunteers of trained students, retirees, and other adults provide consultation on pest problems using least toxic alternatives. We provide a tall display case of 20 fact sheets including some in Spanish for just about every pest problem imaginable for households inside and outside the home. We have a large display of over 30 least toxic alternative pest control items ranging from self-containerized ant bait stations using boric acid to mosquito larvae control bacteria. It’s easier for people to look for certain items that are recommended but also something they have visually seen and touched. We have a magnetic dart board to draw the kids and kids at heart to the table for a guaranteed win of a prize ranging from organic grocery delivered to their home to a package of ant bait station or hand held flip charts that show identify the “good” and “bad” bugs, safer alternatives for controlling pests or least toxic cleaning methods at home. We also have some binders and videos available from past trainings/conferences as well as USEPA, Pesticide Action Network, North America, Californians for Pesticide Reform, and East Bay Municipal District publications to help inform potential activists ready to change the status quo in their community. Work with neighboring communities who oppose the Contra Costa County Mosquito & Vector Control District spraying pesticides from trucks into the middle of neighborhood streets to kill adult mosquitoes, a procedure that has been shown by a major Harvard University School of Public Health study in 2006 to be ineffective at controlling mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus. PfSE worked on a project in 2006 to inform the Contra Costa County Mosquito and Vector Control District Board of Trustees about the lack of evidence and the risk involved in spraying Resmethrin (a pyrethroid) and Piperonyl Butoxide from trucks into neighborhoods and near water bodies. PfSE calculated the pesticide usage by the District, and profiled the toxicity characteristics of the products being applied in neighborhoods and near water bodies. The Director presented a powerpoint presentation to the Board of Trustees, accompanied by 23 members of the community who supported the cessation of “adulticiding,” or the spraying of pesticides into the air in attempt to kill adult mosquitoes. The least toxic alternative is using larvaecides and better yet, removing stagnant water sources. The 2006 Harvard School of Public Health study comparing the reproductive ability of Culex mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus in areas of adulticiding vs no adulticiding was presented. The CCMVCD staff could not refute the study nor had any study to support the effectiveness of adulticiding. The CCMVCD Board of Trustees passed a resolution at a follow-up meeting focused on our presentation and concluded with a majority of votes that the “goal of CCMVCD would be to do zero adulticiding.” In addition, the CCMVCD would have to justify any adulticiding practices to the Board. PfSE considered this a partial victory, and a step in the right direction. Due to lack of resources, we have not been able to do any more follow up work since 2006 except for a few letters to the District challenging their lack of outreach to the community prior to adulticiding and not providing evidence that this continued method of treatment is effective. If we find funding, we wish to hire a project manager to work on both the county departments and the CCMVCD projects that entail large amounts of spreadsheet work and reviewing/commenting on documents. Oversight has made progress in both projects, particularly the county departmental IPM project, but with lack of resources, we cannot move as quickly, and in the worst scenario, our work may even go to waste instead of being built up to move to the eventual goal of institutionalized policy changes. Assisting Churches to become Green and Sustainable. PfSE has assisted one local church in becoming greener and more sustainable by providing presentations, resources, least toxic alternatives and contact information to make it easier to make positive changes. We would like to expand our outreach and assist more facilities as our capacity increases. We need staff and funding to hire the staff to help with this. Documentary Environmental Film, Food and Wine Nights to educate the community and mobilize individuals for effecting change at a personal level. PfSE co-sponsored the monthly “Green Rheem” film/wine nights from 2008-2010 with great attendance. We showed about 15 films in the 2 years and when we began doing legislative work in 2010, we bowed out along with another sponsor who also found planning months events very time consuming. The organization that founded the event still continues the event, but showing only 3 films a year instead of the approximate monthly showing. Both PfSE and the other organization still help out at the events although no longer helping to prepare for them. The last sold ~ 110 tickets. With funding and increased capacity, PfSE would be delighted to get more involved with this project and turn it back to monthly showings with more high school student outreach. The last event drew over a dozen high school students from one environmental class. Alternative to Driving Campaign: Educate and advocate for creating safer biking/walking lanes that connect developments to schools and shopping areas, encourage cleaner buses and support ridership, incorporate car-pooling programs at schools and for after school activities. Introduce GPS mapping on carpool board of potential riders so that people can easily carpool. PfSE wishes to work on school districts and after school programs, particularly the sport programs, to encourage carpooling instead of parents driving their children one by one along the same route in separate cars. We have been working on the sponsors of conferences to provide carpool boards as well as providing specific public transportation options. This campaign has no funding, so the only progress we have made are with individual conference sponsors who sometimes agree to include a carpool board and transportation option info at the next conference. We found that after school programs are concerned about being held liable in a lawsuit in case there’s an accident from carpooling. With increased capacity, we hope to address this concern and get unnecessary cars off the roads. California State Legislation on reforming pest control in public schools and all child-care facilities in California. In 2010, PfSE worked with Senator DeSaulnier as Author, getting SB 1157 passed eight legislative committees and to the Governor’s desk for signature. PfSE conducted most if not all the literature research, securing over 28 endorsements from major environmental, health, and education organizations, secured and prepared all the experts for the hearings and press conference. The Governor vetoed the bill, however Senator DeSaulnier assured us that he wishes to work on this bill again because he believed that it had the best “karma” of any bill he’s seen. PfSE worked on this bill with just a few interns and volunteers, working hundred hour weeks for many months. We will only lead legislation again when we have adequate funding and staff.
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