DATE: MARCH 21, 2023
DEPARTMENT: OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
FROM: CHRISTOPHER A. CALLIHAN, CITY ATTORNEY
TITLE: ASSEMBLY BILL 652; LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM SALINAS CITY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION MOTION:
A motion approving a Resolution authorizing the City Council to submit a letter in support of Assembly Bill 652.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Council members Rocha and Barrera have requested the City Council consider submitting a letter in support of AB 652 (Lee). AB 652 would create an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee within the Department of Pesticide Regulation. A copy of AB 652 is attached to this Report for reference. A “Fact Sheet” issued by the Pesticide Action Network North America and the Californians for Pesticide Reform is also attached to this Report for reference.
DISCUSSION:
AB 652, if approved by the legislature and signed by the Governor, would require the Department of Pesticide Regulation, by January 1, 2025, to establish and convene a Department of Pesticide Regulation Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. The Committee would formally review the activities and programs under the jurisdiction of the Department and would provide recommendations to the Department on ways to integrate environmental justice considerations into Department programs, policies, decision making, and activities. The Committee would also provide recommendations on how the Department can improve its communication with communities with the most significant exposure to pesticides. The Committee would hold at least quarterly meetings and periodically post its recommendations on the Department’s website. The Department would also be required to periodically post on its website an update on its efforts to incorporate the Committee’s recommendations. Over fifty organizations, including Safe Ag Safe Schools and the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, have signed on in support of AB 652.
With Salinas and the Salinas Valley being at the center of the nation’s agriculture industry, many Salinas and Salinas Valley residents work in the agriculture industry and work and live near agricultural areas on which pesticides are used. Although pesticides are intended to harm only target pests, if not used correctly, they can also harm people or the environment. Whether the exposure to pesticides causes harm depends on the amount of exposure, the type of exposure, an individual’s sensitivity, and the toxicity of the pesticide involved. If not used properly, pesticides may be potentially toxic to humans: They may induce adverse health effects including cancer, effects on reproduction, immune or nervous systems. With the Department’s mission being “to protect human health and the environment by regulating pesticide sales and use, and by fostering reduced-risk pest management,” the City Council’s support of AB 652 would signify the City Council’s support for health and well-being of those individuals working in and living in and around areas where pesticides are used.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
The City Council’s approval of a Resolution in support of AB 652 is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). (CEQA Guidelines section 15378) STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
The City Council’s support of AB 652 is consistent with and supports the City Council’s Goals of Infrastructure and Environmental Sustainability, Public Safety, and Effective and Culturally Responsive Government.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
The City Council’s approval of a Resolution in support of AB 652 would not have an impact on the City’s General Fund.
DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION
The City Attorney’s Office coordinated with the City Clerk and City Council members Rocha and Barrera on this Report.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution
AB 652
AB 652 Fact Sheet
RESOLUTION NO. _______________________ (N.C.S.)
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SALINAS CITY COUNCIL TO SUBMIT A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF ASSEMBLY BILL 652 (LEE) BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF SALINAS that the City Council supports the passage of Assembly Bill 652 and the submittal of letters from the City Council to Assembly member Lee and other State agencies, as necessary, expressing the City of Salinas’s support of Assembly Bill 652.
PASSED AND APPROVED this 21st day of March 2023, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
APPROVED:
___________________________________
Kimbley Craig, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________
Patricia M. Barajas, City Clerk
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“What are the Potential Effects of Pesticides?” https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/dept/comguide/effects_excerpt.pdf “Food Safety: Pesticide Residue.” https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/food-safety-pesticide-residue
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