The TED conference
http://www.ted.com/
, a high visibility event with international exposure, is at the Portola Plaza
starting today thru this weekend. Al Gore will be speaking. There are 1100 people
from around the world attending this event and there will be press coverage. We
hope to take advantage of this event to raise awareness about the spraying.
Al Gore is scheduled
to speak in downtown Monterey at the Monterey Conference Center on Saturday from
8:15-10 am as part of the TED convention. The weather is supposed to be nice,
so come and spread the word about the CDFA's plans, then enjoy beautiful Monterey
for the day! Please attend the rally. This will be a peaceful
event. Our intent is to bring attention and raise awareness. Almost no one is
aware that spraying will begin soon.
The TED conference begins at 8:15am
our permit to demonstrate is from 7:30am until 1pm. Please come early if you can
so that we may have a presence as the conference attendees arrive.
PLEASE
MAKE SIGNS! WE NEED TO BE VISIBLE. 
BACKGROUND
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has announced
that it will commence aerial spraying for the light brown apple moth (LBAM) beginning
June 1st. They intend to spray MONTHLY for the NEXT 5 YEARS. They will spray Monterey,
Seaside, Pacific Grove, Carmel and 9 additional counties all the way to Marin
County
After the LBAM spray in September and November, 2007, over 640
people were documented with respiratory, skin, digestive and other health issues
directly connected to the spray. 1000's of dead birds washed on shore.
The
spray has not been tested for safety. Only one of constituents of the complex
chemical formula that the CDFA is using has been short term tested, and only on
rats and rabbits. No long term studies have been conducted and absolutely no testing
on humans.
The CDFA continues to disseminate incorrect and misleading
information. One of the more pressing concerns is that the spray has not been
tested for its effects on human lungs. The CDFA reported that the spray particle
size is 1000 microns. UC Davis tested the spray and found it to be in the 10 micron
range. This is great concern as particles this small can cause tremendous and
permanent damage to lung tissue. Asbestos particles are 15-75 microns!
Biologists
at UC Davis agree that spraying is an outdated, unsustainable, expensive pest
control method –it will not eradicate the moth. Entomologists agree that a program
using pheromone sticky traps is the least toxic, the most economic and the most
effective method.
CDFA itself says the moth has to date done no crop damage
in California. Yet the CDFA has by-passed all health and safety regulations by
declaring a pesticide emergency. CDFA has banned all public participation in policy
decisions and has ignored independent scientific study. Priority must be given
to public and environmental health and safety over speculative economic loss.
The aerial spray program disproportionately impacts vulnerable segments of the
population. People with multiple chemical sensitivity are being forced to relocate.
The homeless have no option to protect themselves from spraying. Children with
compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable.
WHAT CAN YOU
DO? 1.
Get informed and become active www.CASSonline.org and
www.stopthespray.org!
2.
Visit www.LBAMspray.com for news, daily updates,
events, and activities in Santa Cruz, Monterey and the entire San Francisco Bay
Area.
3.
Make copies of this
flyer
and distribute to friends.
4.
Set up an information table at grocery
stores, colleges and farmers markets.
5.
Contact the media: Newspapers,
weeklies, radio and television stations - voice your concern.
6.
Write
the Governor and CDFA secretary demanding a stop to the spray program and
a shift to sustainable methods of least-toxic pest control.
7.
Ask your
State and Federal Representative to stop the aerial spraying.
Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger State Capitol Building Sacramento CA 95814 Phone:
916-445-2841 Fax: 916-558-3160 http://www.governor.ca.gov/
Senator
Joe Simitian State Capitol, Room 2080 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-651-4011
Fax: 916-323-4529 Senator.Simitian@sen.ca.gov
Assemblymember John Laird
State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0027 Phone: 916-319-2027 Fax:
916-319-2127 Assemblymember.Laird@assembly.ca.gov
Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3841 Fax: 202-228-3954
http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/
Secretary A.G. Kawamura, Calif.
Dept. of Food & Agriculture 1220 N Street, Suite 400 Sacramento, CA 95814 akawamura@cdfa.ca.gov
Senator Barbara Boxer 112 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone:
202-224-3553 Fax: 202-228-2382 http://www.boxer.senate.gov/
U.S. Representative
Sam Farr 1221 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20514 Phone: 202-225-2861
Fax: 202-225-6791 samfarr@mail.house.gov
S
enator Abel Maldonado
590 Calle Principal Monterey, CA 93940 Fax: 831-657-6320 Phone: 831-657-6315 senator.maldonado@sen.ca.gov