This month the Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB) took a position on two bills, AB-710 (Wood) and AB-1687 (Bloom). AB-710 would require all Boards and Commissions, in the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), to hold at least one (1) board meeting in rural California. The intention of this change is to encourage people in these rural communities to go to the meetings. If this bill were to pass, the licensees would incur a greater cost to attend the meetings because they would travel further and some people would opt out of attending for that very reason. The bottom line, there are not enough licensees in the rural areas to make the meeting location change practical. The SPCB staff are working on a draft letter to submit to the author’s office.

The draft letter, that was reviewed at the SPCB meeting, goes over the negative impact on human health, if proper rodent control methods are not continued. It goes on to say that there is a potential impact if untrained or unlicensed applicators are conducting treatments. This letter will be submitted to the author’s office.

These actions demonstrate that the SPCB will take a stance on issues when consumer protection is potentially compromised. Licensees of the SPCB are encouraged to attend the meetings, as they are open to the public with opportunities to participate. Check the SPCB website for meeting dates, times and locations. www.pestboard.ca.gov

Darren Van Steenwyk, BCE
LEED Green Associate
Technical Director
Clark Pest Control 
PCOC Legislative Committee Chair
SPCB Vice President
darrenv@clarkpest.com