FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2020
California’s agricultural system is dependent on more than 200 million pounds of chemical pesticides, many of them hazardous and drift-prone. The long term sustainability of our food system will depend on shifting to ways of managing pests that don’t harm human or environmental health.
With sales of the brain-harming organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos in California ending in February, and all use except for granular ending in December, the state has committed funding and resources to support the transition to safer alternatives.
To make sure that this doesn’t just mean swapping one hazardous chemical for another, residents of impacted communities will be calling for the development of a comprehensive statewide vision to support more ecological, pesticide-free farming practices at a series of public workshops convened by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
What: Three public workshops
When & Where: Tuesday January 14, 2020, 5:30 – 7:30
Mosqueda Community Center (Reading and Beyond)
4670 E. Butler Avenue, Fresno, CA 93702
Thursday January 16, 2020, 1:30 – 3:30pm
Joe Serna Jr. CalEPA Headquarters Building
Byron Sher Auditorium
1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Tuesday January 21, 2020, 5:30 – 7:30
South Oxnard Community Center
200 E. Bard Road, Oxnard, CA 93033
Who: 100-200 community members in Fresno and Oxnard
Spanish: Spanish and English speakers will be available to interview
Visuals: Community members wearing matching lime green T-shirts, photo and interview opportunities with farm workers and advocates
CONTACTS:
Jane Sellen, Californians for Pesticide Reform, 530-575-0332, jane@pesticidereform.org
Sarah Aird, Californians for Pesticide Reform, 415-971-4401, sarah@pesticidereform.org
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Californians for Pesticide Reform is a diverse, statewide coalition of 200+ member groups working to strengthen pesticide policies in California to protect public health and the environment. Member groups include public and children’s health advocates, clean air and water groups, health practitioners, environmental justice groups, labor, education, farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates from across the state.
Photo credit: Joan Cusick for Californians for Pesticide Reform.
