Aerial Spray: KQED's Michael Krasny Talks with Man-in-Charge, Secty of Food & Ag Kawamura
On Tuesday, Michael Krasny of KQED's Forum had guests speaking from both sides of the aerial spray issue.
Listen to the show (RealMedia stream)
Guests:
A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
Jane Kay, environment writer for the San Francisco Chronicle
John Connell, director of Plant Health and Test Prevention Services, CDFA
Paul Schramski, state director of Pesticide Watch, a statewide public health and environmental group
Synopsis: The Secretary of Food and Ag, Kawamura, maintains that the spray is absolutely safe, even for seniors, children and those suffering from chronic diseases. Pesticide Watch says what is needed is a health and environmental impact report to understand the long-term and synergistic effects. Kawamura said a report was done in Australia (or was it New Zealand?) on a similar pheromone spray that deemed the spray safe. But Jane Kay of the Chronicle mentioned that the Aussies sprayed on a fairly unpopulated area which is very different from our large-scale urban area. In the exchange between Schramski and Kawamura, it was painfully obvious that the CDFA is all about protecting the economic interests of the Ag industry, not the citizenry.
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By the way folks, SF/Marin Senator Carole Midgen is calling for a spray moratorium over SF and Marin and asking other state representatives of areas to be sprayed to join with her and include their districts. -- See SF Gate article.
It's a complicated legal issue. Here is what was reported on one of my list serves:
"There have been 3 lawsuits already in Monterey and Santa Cruz, two still pending, none successful at stopping the spray before it happened. Suits on new legal grounds are being talked about if political means do not work. One way to go is to get your city to pass an ordinance prohibiting spray on public property, with criminal penalties, which the state would then violate if they spray. This is not simple to get passed, especially in a large city like SF that uses a lot of Roundup and other pesticides itself on its own property. Another part of the problem with legal action at state level is that USDA's eradication order for the moth and classification of the moth as a quarantinable pest (despite its lack of crop damage) is driving this, so the buck does not stop with the state."
There are still many people who don't know about the moth spray campaign scheduled to hit the bay area within weeks. Spread the word and, if you live in the East Bay, ask your Assemblymembers and Senators to sign on to Senator Midgen's proposed resolution.
Assemblymember Loni Hancock
State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento CA 94249
Phone: (916) 319-2014
Fax: (916) 319-2114
Assemblymember Sandré Swanson
State CapitolP.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0016
Phone: (916) 319-2016
Fax: (916) 319-2116
Senator Don Perata
State Capitol, Room 205, Sacramento CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4009
Fax: (916) 327-1997
Related:
I've appreciated the level of your programs since you were on KGO (and miss you there).
Great that you are on top of this LBAM issue. Jane Kay is an excellent guest; however, the real experts on the anti-spray side are in Santa Cruz County. We of CASS (California Alliance to Stop the Spray) are putting together a media kit on the health, science, and economic issues.
I can get names, contacts, reports,guests, whatever you want, on short notice. Let me know.
Also,don't forget other assembly bills on this issue, including ones by Laird and Leno. Of course, more on request.
Dick Andre
Aptos
Posted by: Dick Andre | Mar 18, 2008 9:41:55 AM