Protest against aerial spray to fight the light brown apple moth and an abysmal overview of the state's upcoming budget dominated the conversation between city and state leaders during a special meeting Friday.
At least 100 local residents showed up to the Museum of Art and History for a City Council meeting with state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. The public used the opportunity to vent concerns and plead with state officials to stop pesticide spraying for the moth. In addition, they asked for strict guidelines on how and when an emergency can be declared.
"I got sick. My lungs started to burn. It was an effort to breathe," Becky Steinbrenner of Aptos said about her experience with the spray in November.
"We have a goose and it started gasping. We had to bring it into the house," she said.
Both Laird and Simitian admitted there was little they could do to step in the way of the actions of state agriculture authorities because they're overseen by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration, not the Legislature.
The two said they've made several requests for information from the Department of Food and Agriculture, which have largely gone ignored.
Laird said he has repeatedly asked for an explanation of the emergency declaration for the light brown apple moth -- a pest discovered in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties that agriculture officials say could cause millions of dollars in crop damages across the state in not destroyed.
"My role in this is that I take the concerns of the people and compile them and force the state Department of Agriculture to deal with them," Laird said. "That's the best thing I think I can do."
Meanwhile, both lawmakers painted a painful picture of the state's finances, including their reaction to the governor's announcement this week of a $14.5 billion shortfall and his proposal to cut all state spending 10 percent -- an idea they called "simplistic."
They lamented the governor's suggestion to scale back funds for state parks and beaches and possible cuts to schools and health care.
Both said they're discouraged by Schwarzenegger's refusal to support higher taxes and fees.
"It's hard to communicate at this point what a challenging year it's going to be," Simitian said. "Spend less, collect more. Do it now."
In regard to growth at UC Santa Cruz, which has caused outcry by city officials and residents over the expected impacts on water, traffic and housing, the legislators emphasized their support for requiring UCSC to demonstrate good faith efforts to ensure adequate mitigation measures are in place before funding is approved by the state.
They also touched on the possibility of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, something Simitian supports but says is highly unlikely to happen.
"The governor knows the public does not support the bill," Simitian said. "Not even the majority of Democrats in my district support it, and I'm in a very liberal district."
Contact Shanna McCord at 429-2401 or smccord@santacruzsentinel.com.