Waiting Game In Half Moon Bay

You could think of the California Legislature the same way air travelers think of the line in front of the security gate: it's often a matter of "hurry up and wait."

Right now, we're waiting to see what happens now that the Senate Rules Committee on June 24 ordered the withdrawal of Assembly Bill 1991, the ill-planned Half Moon Bay bill. The powerful committee, which basically works to route bills and enforce the Senate's rules, has returned the bill to the Senate Desk - meaning it's essentially not cleared for takeoff.

As currently written, AB 1991 would roll back all environmental laws that apply to coastal wetlands in the Glencree and Beachwood areas of Half Moon Bay, clearing the way for subdivision development. It has its roots in a flawed $18 million settlement between the city and the developers - and would set a bad precedent for the state.

Pulling the bill back to the Rules Committee forces the city to finally realize that it can't just cut a deal with the developer to waive environmental laws and expect the state to go along.

- Paul Mason, Sierra Club California Deputy Director (pictured)


Half Moon Bay's Coastsider website recently wrote an editorial opposing this half-baked idea. Read it here.

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Light Brown Apple Moth Bills Flutter Forward

As part of Sierra Club California’s support of a moratorium on the aerial spraying of the Light Brown Apple Moth until the chemical’s health effects are known, we are proud to report the successes of several bills within the California Legislature.
If all goes well, pesticide spraying WILL NOT occur until we know just how harmful the pesticide is to people – and to our air, water and livelihoods.

Assembly Bills 2760, 2763, and 2765 all passed the California Assembly within the past weeks.

AB 2760 (Leno) triumphed in the Assembly and will head to the Senate.

This measure responds directly to the planned central coast spraying of a manmade pheromone containing synthetic chemicals and nanoparticles.

Although it doesn’t take effect until 2009, AB 2760 would require the completion of an environmental impact report before the aerial spraying of pesticides could commence. This report would assess the pesticide’s impact on our people and environment. The state never completed a report it initially began in 2007.

AB 2763 (Laird) and AB 2765 (Huffman) also recently swept through the California Assembly.

Assemblymember Laird’s bill would require the state to plan, well in advance, a method of control for invasive pest species that threaten our environment and economy.
Huffman’s bill goes further, requiring full disclosure of all pesticide ingredients, examination of alternatives to aerial spraying and a public hearing to consider all alternatives before eradication projects in urban areas could begin.

Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has acquiesced to the public outrage regarding the urban pesticide spraying.

On April 24, he announced the state will postpone aerial pesticide application until acute testing of the pesticide’s potential to harm eyes, inhalation, respiratory systems and other human systems, known as the “six-pack” toxicology test, is completed.


-- Compiled by Collin Fisher, Sierra Club California Researcher

Sierra Club California's Previous Comments On Light Brown Apple Moth