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EVP NOTES
As we begin a new year, the Legislature resumes its work in Sacramento. This is the second year of a two-year session. Bills introduced last year, if they are not dead, are carried over. PCOC will be ever vigilant in watching for proposals that threaten the well being of the pest control industry in California. There are some things that will remain the same: Democrats will retain control of the Legislature and California's congressional delegation. No surprise there. Gov. Jerry Brown will almost certainly be re-elected to a fourth term. Democrats will continue to dominate the other statewide offices. This year, 2014, is an election year and potentially has significant ramifications. We don't know whether the Democratic supermajority in both houses of the Legislature will survive. There is probably a 50-50 chance that Republicans will gain enough seats to once again make them relevant on legislation that requires a two-thirds vote, such as urgency clauses, increasing taxes or constitutional amendments. The possibility of a Republican recovery in legislation elections creates another interesting scenario: whether Democratic leaders will attempt a pre-preemptive strike, using the current supermajorities this year before they lose their influence. Both current leaders, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez must both step down this year due to term limits. There is great uncertainty as to who will succeed them....which leads to all kinds of strange dynamics that could seriously affect potential legislation...good and bad. The statewide ballot measures that qualify will produce a great deal of action this year. Several dozen potential ballot initiatives are pending. These deal with such issues as a split property tax roll, pension reform and cigarette taxes. All in all a very interesting year ahead. Happy New Year!
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The 2013-2014 Legislative Session of the California Legislature is in progress. Click here for PCOC's Legislative Agenda. 
IN THE NEWS
49-MILLION-YEAR-OLD COCKROACH FOSSIL FOUND A common
European and African cockroach may have gotten its evolutionary start in North
America, according to new fossil findings. The ancient
species — discovered in sedimentary rocks dating back to a warm, humid geologic epoch known as the Eocene — have since gone extinct, for reasons that
remain unclear to the researchers. However, over the past 70 years or so, at
least four different Ectobius species
have made their way into parts of the United States and Canada.
"It was always assumed
that these four newcomers were the first Ectobius species
to have ever lived in North America," study co-author Conrad Labandeira of
the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History said in a
statement. "But the discovery in Colorado proves that their relatives were
here nearly 50 million years ago."
Three of the four new species
have yet to be described in detail, because they are poorly preserved in the
rock. The best preserved has been named Ectobius
kohlsi,after fossil collector David Kohls who contributed all
of the study specimens along with nearly 150,000 other insect fossils to
Smithsonian's Department of Paleobiology.
The researchers analyzed 21
fossil specimens of E.kohlsi,
and were able to identify the specimens as members of the Ectobius genus based
on the distict coloration and wing vein patterns of this group.E. kohlsi individuals
were the smallest of the four ancient species discovered, with body lengths reaching
only about 0.4 inch (1 cm) and body widths of up to only 0.1 inch (3 mm), the
researchers report.
The researchers are not
certain how the Ectobius genus
made its way to the Eurasian continent, but have several theories. For example,
since sea levels were relatively low during the Eocene and continents were
closer together than they are today, the body of water that is now the Atlantic
Ocean would have been much narrower than it is today. This could have allowed
the insects to crawl through northeastern Canada, onto Greenland, and then into
Scandinavia, Labandeira told LiveScience.
Alternatively, the insects
could have traveled through the region known as Berengia — the area between Alaska and Siberia — and
made their way through Asia and into Europe from east to west, Labandeira said.
Though the researchers are not aware of any Ectobius fossils in Asia, they have not
ruled out the possibility that some exist but have yet to be discovered.
Labandeira said he was
surprised by the new findings, and that this is a good example how paleontology
can be very serendipitous.
"Much of our science is
actually unpredictable in the sense that you never know what you are going to
find," Labandeira said. "You open the door and there are mysteries.
So this is an example of finding something out of time and out of place, and it
leads into a very different interpretation of what actually happened."
Next, the team hopes to explore
other museum fossil collections to look for better preserved specimens of the
new Ectobius species
that they have yet to describe.
The findings are detailed
this month in the journal Annals of the Entomological Society of America.
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE NEEDS ARTISTS Know of anyone that enjoys drawing? If so, the PCOC Scholarship Committee is looking for volunteers to draw Christmas cards for the 2014 season. All proceeds from the sale of these cards will go to the PCOC Scholarship Fund. Anyone interested in helping these deserving students please email Nona Bradley at Nbradley@clarkpest.com. PEST ED 2014 This year's Pest Ed 2014 was a huge success. We had an increased attendance in Montebello. Also, our new location in the north was a hit. I would like to thank Univar for their partnership and work to make this event possible. In addition, I would like to thank all the sponsors that participated. Without all of their help, we could not offer this great program every year. ACE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM Become an ASSOCIATE CERTIFIED ENTOMOLOGIST through the Entomological Society of America. If you have a passion for insects and have worked more than seven (7) years in the structural pest management industry, plus a state licence of any type through the SPCB, you can take the class and exam to become an ACE! The NEXT CLASS AND EXAMINATION IS AT UNIVAR USA, Los Angeles. Tuition $250. Classes severely limited to under 12 applicants. FEBRUARY 7-8 2014. Contact Laurie Jo Jensen BCE 949-412-8773 or laurie@bugwizzards.com. Thanks to wonderful Sponsors Univar and Bayer.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2014
March 25-26
Board of Directors Meeting/Leg Day
Sheraton Grand Sacramento
Sacramento
Hotel Reservations June 19-21 PCOC Expo 2014
Harrahs Las Vegas Casino & Hotel
Las Vegas
Sept 26-27 Board of Directors Meeting
Doubletree by Hilton Sonoma
Rohnert Park, Calif.
Dec 12-13 Board of Directors Meeting
Hilton Palm Springs
Palm Springs, Calif. Comings and Goings
Welcome to a new section of Newsbriefs! Here, we will give news from our members: new hires, retirements, etc. If you have some news you would like to share, please send a short sentence or two to jenai@pcoc.org. MEMBER VALUE PROGRAM
PCOC MONTHLY INSURANCE/SAFETY TIP
It can take a long time for an injured worker to recover from a serious injury. During recuperation, he or she might lose strength, endurance and the ability to concentrate due to pain. And on occasion, an injury can result in a permanent partial disability, which would allow an employee to return to some sort of work, but perhaps not his or her previous schedule or occupation. When an injured worker reaches maximum medical improvement but is still unable to return to work, work hardening can help. A type of rehabilitation service, work hardening attempts to return an injured worker to gainful employment by increasing his/her strength and endurance, modifying the work environment, or modifying work tasks. The work hardening process consists of: -Referring. Typically, a treating physician will refer an injured worker to an occupational or physical therapist for work hardening. A medical exam will provide the therapist with information on the worker's medical condition and any physical restrictions. -Evaluating. The therapist will evaluate the returning worker's baseline strength and conditioning levels, using treadmills, ergometers, free weights, etc. -Analyzing. The therapist analyzes the physical demands of the job and its ergonomic environment. -Planning. Using this information, the therapist develops a comprehensive plan to return the employee to his/her former job. Specific tasks include the following: -Strengthening. The therapist develops an individualized program of real or simulated work tasks. These progressively more difficult tasks help an injured worker regain strength and retrain unused muscles. -Modifying. Where necessary, the therapist can recommend workplace modifications that can help injured workers with disabilities perform the critical tasks of the job. These might range from rearranging the workstation to specifying customized adaptive equipment. -Educating. A good work hardening program will help train an injured worker in preventive self-care. If poor body mechanics, lack of fitness or other worker characteristic led to or contributed to the injury, the therapist should provide training on proper body mechanics, such as proper lifting techniques, and other ergonomic safety suggestions. -Coping. Where necessary, a work hardening program can include measures to help a worker cope with any remaining symptoms from the injury, such as pain. -Discharging. The therapist will monitor the worker's progress, recommending return to work when he/she has reached predetermined strength and work fitness goals. Programs typically last three to four weeks. Many studies have found work hardening to be an effective method of returning injured workers to gainful employment. Although somewhat costly, when you consider the cost of lifetime benefits for an injured worker on total disability, it can save money. For more information on work hardening and other strategies to manage and reduce the cost of workers' compensation claims, for more information, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program department of Jenkins Leavitt Insurance Services at (877) 860-7378 or, email us @ProPest@Leavitt.com. FREQUENTLY REQUESTED INFORMATION
NPMA LOGIN FOR JOINT MEMBERSHIP LOGIN: 313501 PASSWORD: PCOC PCOC website password for 2013-2014 effective July 1, 2013: "beacon"
Department of Fish & Game Department of Food & Agriculture Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
www.cdpr.ca.gov DPR on Facebook: www.facebook.com/capesticideregulation DPR on YouTube (see "playlists" for videos pertaining to new surface water regulations): www.youtube.com/user/californiapesticides DPR on Twitter: twitter.com/ca_pesticides DPR LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/california-department-of-pesticide-regulation Healthy Schools Act http://apps.cdpr.ca.gov/schoolipm/ Structural Pest Control Board www.pestboard.ca.gov Find Your Legislator |
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