There has been a lot of action this month taken at both the governor’s office, as well as the Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB). A few bills that were sponsored by the SPCB that got signed by the governor are AB 593 (Gloria), AB 1590 (Chen), and SB 800. 

• AB 593 (Gloria): This bill extended the structural fume enforcement for another five years to 01-01-2023. This is an extension of the current fumigation enforcement in LA, Orange, San Diego and Santa Clara counties. 
• AB 1590 (Chen): This bill extends the time that the SPCB has to deal with a consumer complaint from 12 months to 18 months. This bill enhances the ability for the SPCB to protect consumers against fraudulent pest control operators.
• SB 800: This bill takes effect on 01-01-2018 and is a broad bill covering many aspects of the Department of Consumer Affairs. There is a section in this bill that allows pest control companies to remove a licensee that has dissociated with them from their listing on the SPCB website. That means that when a person who is no longer employed at a pest control operation, the company can remove them from the SPCB website. This is a huge victory for the industry, as industry has been asking for this for years from the SPCB.

There have also been some regulatory changes as well. California Code of Regulations Title 16 Section 1914 has been amended to state that if a company has been surrendered to the SPCB, that name and phone number are no longer allowed to be used in the future. Sections 1993.2, 1993.3 and 1993.4 have clarified the definitions of an in-ground termite bait station and how they can be used. It is recommended that those code sections be looked up for further clarification if needed.

The SPCB has also recently taken action on the updating of continuing education in regards to IPM. Changes to section 1950 and 1953 will be coming in the future. Please keep an eye for what these changes are. These changes will be sent to the Department of Consumer Affairs for review before any action is taken. Take a look at the materials for the most recent SPCB meeting for details as to how these regulations will change. These will go through many steps before they are enacted. So, if you would like to submit comments on them, keep an eye out for when that comment period is open so you can make your voice heard if you have any issue with these changes.

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