As you know, this year started with a bang, and it has only gotten more active. Due to the nature of the issues that the association is currently dealing with (and expect to have thrown at it in the future), the Executive Committee has decided to split the Regulatory and Legislative issues into two separate committees. I will be chairing the Regulatory Committee with the charge of working with DPR (the Department of Pesticide Regulation), the SPCB (the Structural Pest Control Board), and potentially CACASA (the County Commissioner Association) as well as other regulatory agencies and departments as needed. 

At the Expo in Monterey, Julie Henderson, the Director of DPR, spoke to our group about their efforts in driving pesticide users to embrace Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) by referencing an SPM Roadmap that the department has created. SPM uses Integrated Pest Management as a foundation but then works to incorporate considerations of the environmental impact of the pesticide use as well as how it impacts disadvantaged communities. This is an effort that DPR is putting energy and resources behind so this Roadmap is something that we can anticipate will be around and referenced in the future.

As mentioned in the past, DPR has proposed new regulations on Site Decontamination. These regulations potentially require pesticide applicators to have materials to rinse pesticides off their skin and out of their eyes if exposed. However, PCOC feels that the overall requirements proposed were excessive. We expressed this at the public hearing, in the written comments, and in person with DPR staff at the Expo. We were able to get a call with members of DPR who are working on this issue. We feel that the call went well, and we are still waiting for the formal response from DPR and will report back once we hear.

SPM is a topic applied to all pesticide uses, including fumigation. DPR has entered into an agreement with the California Council on Science and Technology to conduct a study on current fumigation use and assess the availability of alternatives. This is something that the association will take very seriously and will be engaging with DPR on this moving forward.

Finally, PCOC requested that the SPCB take a stance on AB 1322 (the diphacinone bill) and submit a letter of opposition. At the last board meeting, the board granted that request and will be submitting a letter of opposition to the author’s office. This was a success!

Darren Van Steenwyk
Regulatory Committee Chair
Sprague Pest Solutions
(661) 610-8725
dvansteenwyk@spraguepest.com