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esolved, it is the responsibility of the government to demonstrate that its actions are necessary, appropriate, and do not compromise health or the environment. It is not the responsibility of citizens to demonstrate the reverse.

Those words from a resolution by Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, do a splendid job explaining a raft of bills introduced last week to change the state Department of Food and Agriculture's approach to controlling farm pests such as the light brown apple moth.

The bills by Laird and three San Francisco Bay Area legislators would require the state to identify potential invasive pests well in advance of eradication efforts, to identify and assess the methods in advance and to involve the public from the start.

Agriculture officials will likely argue that the new procedure would be onerous and cumbersome. They'll get little sympathy, considering the arrogance they displayed when they launched the moth program last year with little apparent regard for the natural concerns of people whose homes, schools and parks were being sprayed.

In fairness, the state officials felt certain that their primary weapon, a pheromone intended to disrupt the mating cycle, presents only a negligible public health threat. That assessment has held up well despite widely repeated assertions from the opposition. But that does not justify starting the spraying without fully identifying the materials or giving the public an adequate chance to do its own

research. Those errors in judgment would be corrected by the bills introduced Friday.

One of the bills, AB 2760 by Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, may go a step too far, however. It would require an environmental impact report before the state could apply substances aimed at the apple moth in urban areas. The problem is that such reports often take many months, which could allow the pest to become too well established in places. Agriculture officials do need some ability to address emergency outbreaks.

That concern aside, Laird and the other legislators are sending important messages to everyone involved. The legislation could help restore the appropriate balance of power between the public and the bureaucracy.