Watchdogs contend the county is unlawfully permitting pesticides near schools.

Pesticides have long been an issue in the “salad bowl of the world,” for obvious reasons: pests like salad – and strawberries and grapes, too.

And concerns over local pesticide use were elevated on Oct. 12, when Earthjustice, an environmental law nonprofit, sent a letter to Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales questioning the legality of permits issued to growers within one mile of Pajaro Middle School, and Ohlone and Hall elementary schools, all located near Watsonville. The letter asks that the county rescind all permits issued for the 2022-23 growing season for “restricted materials” – including the fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (commonly known as 1,3-D) – within a mile of those schools, and to stop issuing more permits indefinitely.

Gonzales did not respond to requests for comment.

The request comes after data from air quality monitors at Ohlone Elementary show 1,3-D exceeded levels the state deems safe every year since 2012. The letter is a precursor to potential litigation, and should the county not comply with the request, it seems likely a lawsuit is coming.

This all comes after a 2019 UCLA study found that “it is clear these [pesticides] are toxic and carcinogenic in multiple organs” and that “cumulative exposures can have larger than anticipated impacts on public health”; the letter adds that the county Ag Commissioner’s Office is “failing in [its] duty” to protect local residents.”

Mark Weller, who works for Californians for Pesticide Reform, has been agitating about the issue for years, and says the state is “always telling us to follow the science, and we give them the science,” but that nothing seems to change.

“One option is [Gonzales] does the right thing,” Weller says. “The other is he refuses, or does it in a partial way.”

In which case, Weller says, “We may need to use the courts.”