Advocates urge California's attorney general to address the state's pesticide regulation system, which they claim disproportionately affects farmworkers and violates civil rights.
Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News.
- A coalition has accused California pesticide regulators of civil rights violations due to the disproportionate impact of pesticides on farmworker communities.
- The "People's Tribunal on Pesticide Use and Civil Rights in California" highlighted the systemic failures in protecting these communities from hazardous pesticides.
- Local advocacy groups are burdened with addressing the state's shortcomings in pesticide regulation and enforcement.
Key quote:
"We need to end the secrecy surrounding pesticides and the environmentally racist policies."
— Yanely Martinez, organizer with Californians for Pesticide Reform.
Why this matters:
The call for reform is not just about pesticide regulation but a broader fight against environmental racism and for the health and safety of all Californians. Rural communities of color and farmworkers are disproportionately exposed to some of the most dangerous chemicals used in agriculture.
