Note: The California Dept. of Pesticide Regulations (cdpr.ca.gov) app for smart phone reporting has been a regular component of this website since the app’s inception last year. This is what GASP is referring to. You can download easily from there as well as get information on your rights.
New Pesticide Rules for California!
(guidance from CPR)
No previous California governor has taken such an aggressive approach with the state’s powerful chemical-based agribusiness sector when it comes to protecting residents and farmworkers from pesticide drift from nearby farm fields.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed all counties to tighten restrictions on pesticide spraying near homes, to protect children from toxic chemicals drifting from crop fields while they are homebound during the coronavirus pandemic. Newsom’s order signals a new approach to California agriculture regulation, calling for “transitioning away from harmful chemicals.”
At Newsom’s direction, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, or DPR, issued guidance to all 58 county agriculture commissioners, or CACs, to take a series of aggressive steps to ensure kids are not exposed to pesticides while forced to stay home from school, including:
- Strictly enforcing all applicable pesticide health protections around homes and schools during the COVID-19 emergency.
- Prohibiting pesticide applications when there is a reasonable possibility of contamination of people not involved in the pesticide application process.
More information:EWG article
Call to Action:
If you see spraying within 1/4 mile of your home report it:
Use this new DPR Executive Guidance to communicate with County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs) and protect residences from pesticide exposure. If community members become aware of pesticide use within 1/4 mile of their homes, report it as a violation of the executive order, which tells CACs they’re supposed to be applying the same kinds of protective measures to homes that are intended to protect children while at school.
How To Report:
- Call 707-565-2371 and provide location (address if possible), time and capture video/photo if possible.
- Download and Use the app: California’s System for Pesticide Incident Reporting, a mobile app for reporting pesticide drift.
Sign the Petition: We believe Californians have a right to know when hazardous agricultural pesticide applications are going to take place near them. It’s the only way families in agricultural communities can take additional precautionary measures to protect their families’ health and really understand the potential hazards nearby. Please share and sign this pesticide notification petition calling for immediate, public statewide notification of the most hazardous ag pesticide applications.