Demand Accountability

    Government officials have a duty to safeguard human health and the environment above private interests. CPR holds California’s pesticide regulators to this obligation, making sure they protect farmworkers, communities, and ecosystems from harmful chemicals.

    CPR works to ensure that pesticide policies are grounded in rigorous science and shaped by the lived experiences of those most affected by pesticide use. We push regulators to fully implement and enforce existing laws and regulations.

    When laws are violated or weakly enforced, we confront such regulatory failures and demand meaningful corrective action.

    Holding Regulators to Account

    Regulators implement new laws that elected officials make and also have authority to make some rules and decisions themselves. Regulators are not elected; they apply for jobs in a particular agency. The head of an agency sometimes changes after an election, but most of the staff of the agency remain the same.

    California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)

    The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), which is under the California Environmental Protection Agency, is the state administrative body charged with creating regulations and enforcing laws related to pesticide use. The Director of the DPR is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. DPR’s official duties include:

    • Evaluating and registering pesticide products
    • Creating specific rules about how pesticides are used in California
    • Licensing commercial applicators, dealers, and consultants
    • Environmental monitoring
    • Residue testing of fresh produce
    • Investigating pesticide poisonings and issuing fines for violations of pesticide laws

    County Agricultural Commissioners

    Every county in California has a County Ag Commissioner. Under the supervision of DPR, Ag commissioners are responsible for the on-the-ground enforcement of state pesticide laws and regulations. County Ag Commissioners are appointed by the County Board of Supervisors.

    Find your County Ag Commissioner here.

     

    How you can demand accountability

    From DPR:

    • Attend a hearing and speak about your desire to be protected from pesticide exposure
    • Write a letter or collect petitions when a dangerous pesticide is proposed for registration
    • Report pesticide poisonings

    From County Ag Commissioners:

    • Run a campaign asking for increased buffer zones for pesticide use
    • Report pesticide poisonings
    • Petition the County Board of Supervisors to appoint an Ag Commissioner that will ensure communities are protected from pesticide exposure
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