Press Banner

MALDONADO

In town to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Tree Circus Center commercial building on Scotts Valley Drive, Maldonado had harsh words for A.G. Kawamura, the state’s secretary of food and agriculture.

But the senator and farmer, whose five-county district includes Scotts Valley, declined to oppose the idea of spraying the synthetic pheromone CheckMate to eradicate the moth.

"I’m not necessarily against it," he said in an interview, "but I’ve told Secretary Kawamura that there needs to be good science and good communication."

"A.G. has done a bad job of communicating the program to the people affected," Maldonado said. "I’ve told him he needs to communicate better. But once you’re behind the eight ball in communication, you’re lost."

Maldonado conceded that he isn’t "an expert on pheromones," and people need to be able to rely on solid scientific evidence in this case.

All in all, though, he said he thinks the moth is an economic threat to the state’s crops, which is the state’s rationale for the eradication program.

Whether sufficient scientific evidence will be collected remains to be seen.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered a standard set of toxicology tests, known as the "six-pack," to be performed on CheckMate by a Texas laboratory. But these are less complete than an environmental impact report, which two judges — one in Santa Cruz and one in Monterey County — have said is necessary before the state can conduct the spraying.

Despite calls from several legislators in addition to Maldonado, Kawamura has been steadfast. Last week, in a published response to opponents, Kawamura called the moth a "ravenous pest" and arguments against spraying "misinformation."

"Secretary Kawamura’s response repeats the pattern of talking at the people instead of listening to them," said John Russo, founder of StopTheSpray.org. "This program is a disaster for the rights of Californians."

The proposed spray area has been expanded from last summer’s and now includes Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley. Last year, only a portion of Scotts Valley was affected, along with other areas of the county.