Sen. Maria Elena Durazo has revived Senate Bill 86. Last year, the former labor leader from Los Angeles called for an immediate ban on the insecticide chlorpyrifos through two successive bills, saying it damaged the brains of babies. The measure was eventually shelved after Gov. Newsom instead issued a ban through CalEPA.
Durazo amended her bill this week to now focus on granular forms of chlorpyrifos still in use. The exception to the ban came about as a quiet compromise between the industry and the administration. The granular form allows citrus growers to continue to apply the pesticide for ants and mites. Walnut growers use the granular version at times as well.
SB 86 does not propose a ban on the granular form, however. Instead, it would require the Department of Pesticide Regulation to submit quarterly reports on these applications to the Legislature and to the state surgeon general. DPR currently tracks pesticide use in publicly available annual reports.
The bill is awaiting a committee hearing.
Photo: Sen. Durazo in January 2020.
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