In the fall of 2007, the State of California, under Federal mandate, aerial sprayed pesticides over the Monterey Bay Area in an attempt to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). As a result, 643 people reported illnesses, thousands of seabirds died, countless household pets were sickened, and bees disappeared. With the guidance of Global Exchange and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), we have written an ordinance that will keep the City of Santa Cruz safe from future pesticide assaults forever:

It is based on the Declaration of Independence which declares that we have certain inalienable rights, and on the California Constitution which declares that among those rights is our right to safety. (Article 1, Section 1) The State’s LBAM program is not over. They still plan to aerial spray in “agricultural and forested” areas, and to do toxic ground treatments in our neighborhoods. In a world with global trade, there will always be non-native insects coming into our country. What happens when the next “pest” comes to the bay area? What toxic substances will be used to try to eradicate it?