Please Help Stop Forced Pesticides on California Properties
Click Here to Add CommentSubject: Please Help Stop Forced Pesticides on California Properties
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2002 12:38:08 -0400
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Please forward, PLEASE HELP STOP FORCED PESTICIDES ON CALIFORNIANS PROPERTIES- Governor Davis please don't spray us for some of us may die.
re: Pierce's Disease Control Program and the Emergency Rapid Response Plan to control the Glassy Winged Sharp Shooter for the wine industry-
Please distribute this email in hopes that public outrage can be known to the Governor and our legislature.
Governor Davis has promised to force spray pesticides on Californians properties AGAINST THEIR WILL AND RECOMENDATIONS OF THEIR DOCTORS for a fabricated emergency for the wine industry. A foreign insect called Glassy Winged Sharp Shooter (GWSS) can spread Pierce's Disease, that can destroy grape vines if not pruned properly. Native insects also spread the Disease that has been in this state for 100 years. Definitely not a sudden emergency. Growers in the most devastated county have solved the problem on their own without the need for tax money by ripping out near-by healthy citrus where GWSS lives, spraying their own pesticides or using alternatives such as Kaolin Clay dust, planting disease resistant varieties, fencing, pruning off diseases portions of the vine, and better soil nutrition for building stronger plants. In fact, there is evidence to indicate that the devastation in Temecula County could have been averted with better farming techniques. There was no widespread financial devastation; the amount lost was made up for with bumper crops.
California Dept. of Food and Ag (CDFA) grossly exaggerates the threat to agriculture to keep this boondoggle of taxpayer waste and declaration of emergency going. Over 39 million federal and state and federal monies has been spent on spraying pesticides, development of genetically engineered wine grapes (which now the wine industry appears to not want since Europe won't buy genetically engineered wine. The Pierce's Disease that affects citrus, peaches and other food crops isn't even in CA!
Governor Davis has taken away the basic civil rights of the people of this state by declaring an emergency. CDFA calls the risk to the unprotected sick, and disabled community insignificant. When an emergency is declared a state can do whatever it wants and no mitigation is possible for anyone, organic gardeners, Organic farmers, disabled sick persons, and healthy people not wanting to be exposed to untested full product pesticides because CDFA has determined in the Environmental Impact report there are no significant risks to the environment or the environmental health of the people of this state. They lie and illegally state the EPA says no Harm will occur.
I served on the Glassy Winged Sharp Shooter Environmental Task Force as the non Governmental Public Health Representative and presented a paper describing the government sanctioned JUNK Pesticide Science and toxicology based on the active ingredients. There are about 120 tests on the active pesticide ingredients and 3 on the inerts. THEREFORE THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT PESTICIDES WHEN USED ACCORDING TO LABEL INSTRUCTIONS ARE SAFE FOR ANYONE, THEY DON'T TEST THE FULL PRODUCT. There are of course many other loop holes in pesticide product registration, including synergism with other common chemical products and drugs. There are areas of health impacts not studied, for example the effect of pesticides on the 100 million chronically ill Americans. Now recent studies have proven that healthy people can have their lungs constricted from levels of pollution they can't smell. Leading scientists to conclude that the affect on the sick can be life-threatening and thus proving that pollution can be the cause of sudden cardiac deaths. The EPA estimates 60,000 cardiac deaths a year due to pollution.
I went to the first Draft Environmental Impact Report Hearing for the Pierce's Disease Control Program and I was the only person there advocating for the public health issues, and disabled access issues. Frankly, I would have to agree with the state the lack of public outcry will insure that people in this state will be sprayed against their will over and over again every time agriculture wants some free pest control. Please send this to all your family members and friends in California or in another state (since federal tax dollars are being spent)
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP,
1. PLEASE call, write, email, fax the Governor of California Gray Davis. Tell him to stop the Pierce's Disease Emergency and NEVER ALLOW ANY PESTICIDE SPRAY ON ANYONE'S PROPERTY FOR ANY EMERGENCY BECAUSE OF THE UNKNOWN ACCEPTABLE RISKS. STOP risking the environmental health of the people of California with Junk Pesticide Science that is based on the toxicology of active ingredients leaving out the often larger, more toxic, trade secret inert ingredients. ASK HIM TO MANDATE FULL PRODUCT TESTING OF ALL CHEMICALS, INCLUDING SYNERGISM WITH other COMMON CHEMICALS AND DRUGS, AND CREATE TESTING TO PROTECT THE SICK PEOPLE OF THIS STATE.
Demand that he stop discriminating against the disabled sick people of California, by expecting poor, sick and dying individuals to flee their beds/homes so the state can spray their property for the protection of the wine industry. Some of these sick people need at least a one mile no spray zone to protect their health, and residues will combine with the soil and be in the dust around their homes for a extended period of time. This program creates an emergency for this so called insignificant group. Who else is potentially immediately affected? Persons with any respiratory disease, neurological diseases, cardiac diseases, immune system diseases, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or other sensitivity or chemical intolerance disorders, etc. could experience serious symptoms and some may die.
Tell the Governor you will not re-elect politicians that will risk a child's life-threatening asthma attack or tolerate another cardiac death from pollution for the sake of the luxury alcohol agriculture industry or any industry. Even if an essential food crop is threatened, still no forced community pesticide spray is ever indicated due to the newly established scientifically proven risks to human life from legal fine particle pollution of any kind. Alternatives of pesticides will have to be used, regardless of whether they financially burden the state with excess costs. According to federal law disabled people have a right to alternatives. California could demand growers fence to protect the entire state's wine industry from insect pests rather than spray one person's yard. It might not look pretty, but worth it to preserve and protect the health of Californians. Governor's contact information provided below.
2. Don't forget to call you district representatives. To find the contact information for your State Senator and Assembly members please check the blue pages of your phone book. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
3. To let CDFA know that you don't agree with this program, Environmental Impact Comments should be immediately sent to (dead line May 17, 2002) Before any pesticide is applied to any agricultural or non-agricultural property, demand inert and full product testing using modern toxicology not the current junk pesticide science based only on active ingredients therefore not able to reasonably assure the safety of anyone, including the farm workers.
Demand that the industry solve their own problems, using their own money on their own properties and stop trespassing on private citizen's yards forcing concerned and disabled sick and dying people to flee their beds. Tell them this program discriminates against the disabled by not assuring the new "clean air" disability sign http://users.lmi.net/wilworks/events/clnerair.htm is used at CDFA meetings regarding programs that consider our disabled population expendable and insignificant (I had breathing difficulties at the Sacramento meeting due to fragrances) and assuring clean air access for the environmentally disabled to their homes and communities. Tell them it is against federal law to say a the EPA says a pesticide is safe. We are an acceptable risk population that is huge. It's time to be counted. Tell them if you are not going to any meetings due to the likely hood you would get ill due to lack of disabled access. Let them know that you support the creation of one cleaner air disabled access meeting for this program, since the written invitations to the public hearings had no fragrance free request.
4.Come to the Public Hearings, Tulare April 30, Napa April 29, San Luis Obispo, May 1, http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdcp/gwTFMeet.htm EIR publications available contact your County Dept. of Agriculture. I may be able to email parts of the EIR out on the internet, sign up for my email list(s) see http://www.noacceptablerisk.com For further information call Susan Stratton (916) 376-1610,fax (916) 376- 1606
5.For DRAFT EIR PUBLIC COMMENTS mail to:
Susan Stratton Sr. Environmental Planner
Dept. of General Services
Real Estate Services Division
Professional Services
Branch
PO Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
From the Governor's Website
Governor Gray Davis
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
governor@governor.ca.gov
"To help us keep track of correspondence and to ensure that we are able to respond to California residents, please be sure to include your name and address when you communicate with the Governor's Office. We do not accept e-mail attachments."
District Offices
Fresno Office
2550 Mariposa Mall #3013
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: 559-445-5295
Fax: 559-445-5328
Los Angeles Office
300 South Spring Street
Suite 16701
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: 213-897-0322
Fax: 213-897-0319
Riverside Office
3737 Main Street #201
Riverside, CA 92101
Phone: 909-680-6860
Fax: 909-680-6863
San Diego Office
1350 Front Street
Suite 6054
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-525-4641
Fax: 619-525-4640
San Francisco Office
455 Golden Gate Avenue
Suite 14000
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415-703-2218
Fax: 415-703-2803
Washington D.C. Office
134 Hall of the States
444 North Capitol Street NW
Washington D.C. 20001
Phone: 202-624-5270
Fax: 202-624-5280
I wish to thank everyone for their support, I need you to take action today. Teach you children the true meaning of being an American, and the duty of Americans to let the government know when they are going down a wrong path. Have your children write for protection against asthma attacks. Maybe the Governor will listen to the children. Please don't delay... contact the Governor, your representatives, and write a note to the EIR comments today. The 1/2 hour you spend doing this, could stop this program if we all act together and encourage others to do so too.
People interested in distributing postcards if I can get them printed in time, please contact me. Groups interested in signing on to a no acceptable risk/precautionary statement for the Governor regarding all pesticide use please contact me. I lobbied in Sacramento for the protection of the people of this state, and it was suggested that we form a state environmental health coalition, because the other side is so much larger. Many environmental groups support the preservation of agriculture and won't support the precautionary principle. Remember 200,000 letters saved the organic food standards. WE can take back our rights. Everyone please I urge you do your part. The power is also in the people.
Sincerely,
Linda J. McElver
Non-governmental Public Health Representative on the Glassy
Winged
Environmental Task Force.
President
Canaries Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 3253
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3253
Phone: (805) 547-1568
Fax: (805) 543-6249
www.noaccetpablerisk.com
Advocating for the needs of the chemically sensitive/acceptable risk populations because people can be as fragile as canaries in the coal mine.
If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing information on pesticides, please email us at list@safe2use.com.