County of Santa Cruz
COUNTY
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
701 OCEAN STREET, SUITE 520, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060-4073
(831) 454-2100
FAX: (831) 454-3420 TDD:
(831) 454-2123 SUSAN MAURIELLO, J.D., COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE
OFFICER
|
Date: November 2,
2007
Release: Immediately
Contact: Dinah Phillips
Public
Information Officer
On November 1, 2007, the Court
denied Santa Cruz County’s request for a temporary restraining order to stop
the California Department of Food and Agriculture from conducting aerial
pheromone spraying for the Light Brown Apple Moth over portions of Santa Cruz
County. CDFA has announced plans to commence spraying in Santa Cruz County as
scheduled between November 4 and November 9.
CDFA has set up an email
notification system to inform residents of when and where spraying will occur.
Those interested in receiving email updates may sign up at
http://phpps.cdfa.ca.gov/notification/signup2.aspx
Although the County’s request for
a temporary injunction was denied, the rest of the County’s case is still
proceeding. In the coming months, the County will be focusing its efforts on
gathering information that may be
presented to the court at a later hearing which may take place prior to
the next scheduled round of spraying in late February 2008.
The County will be collecting
evidence of illness or injury due to the aerial spraying for presentation to the
Court. This information will be collected through local physicians and the
County Health Services Agency (HSA).
In accordance with standard
practices regarding the reporting of pesticide-related illnesses, the County
Health Services Agency has issued a Health Advisory to all physicians in the
County advising them that they are required to notify the County Health
Officer, through the HSA Disease Control Unit, of illness or injury that they
suspect was caused by pesticides.
Reports of illness or injury due
to CDFA’s aerial spraying can only be tabulated if they are reported by
physicians. Self reporting will not be
accepted by the Health Services Agency or other County departments.
Residents who believe that they
have suffered illness or injury from CDFA’s spraying should be seen by a
physician. If the physician suspects that the illness or injury was caused by
pesticides, the physician must submit a Confidential Report of Known of
Suspected Pesticide-Related Illness to the County Disease Control Unit.