Jackson pesticide bill a collaborative effort with area ag officials

March 05, 2001
Santa Paula News

Briggs School, perched in the middle of the Santa Clara River Valley’s agricultural industry, ranked a troubling third on a list of vicinity pesticide applications, but a new bill introduced by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson and endorsed by area agricultural officials will give broader local powers for scheduling and enforcement

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesBriggs School, perched in the middle of the Santa Clara River Valley’s agricultural industry, ranked a troubling third on a list of vicinity pesticide applications, but a new bill introduced by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson and endorsed by area agricultural officials will give broader local powers for scheduling and enforcement.Jackson unveiled the new bill last week at Mound School in Ventura, where students and faculty were sickened in November when Lorsban - sprayed in the orchard across the street - drifted to the campus.The bill would give stronger power to the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office to issue permits and fine farmers up to $5,000 for using non-restricted pesticides within a quarter mile of a school campus.Although the incident at Mound School is considered isolated - little comfort to those that experienced nausea, vomiting, dizziness and coughing from the pesticide drift - Jackson’s proposed law would give farmers fiscal incentives to make sure such incidents don’t happen in the future. The fine now is capped at $1,000, and the bill would not only bump it five-fold, but give local agricultural officials more oversights including dictating application schedules.
Ventura County Farm Bureau President Rex Laird, like others at the press conference, said the bill was the result of compromise. “We shouldn’t have to have legislation, but obviously we do,” he noted.Jackson said she is is “very pleased. . .it’s a good bill and the result of all the stake holders coming to the table, and there was a lot of good work that came from Santa Paula farmers. We’ll see how the rest of the ag community responds. . .”Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail said the bill and the oversight it gives his office is long overdue. “It helps to give flexibility and local control,” to different counties where needs might vary. “It gives me the tools,” needed for control, McPhail said, and he would like to see more collaborative efforts such as the one that resulted in Jackson’s bill.McPhail said he was surprised that a survey taken for the bill showed that 94 schools in Ventura County are within a quarter of a mile of agricultural operations.Jackson combined a civics lesson with assurance when she spoke to a group of students about the bill. After a question and answer session with the children, many who had been sickened in November, Jackson told them the bill was crafted to “Keep you safe, just like your moms and dads and teachers do. . .”She hopes the bill will be signed in December, but one student asked what she would do if Gov. Davis doesn’t sign it: “Well, then we’ll have to have a chat,” Jackson answered with a grin.



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