Urgent Action Alert:

Please join us at the Board of Supervisors Meeting Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 8:30am

Location: Board of Supervisors Chambers 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa

Agenda Item to be Discussed: Toxic Free Future in and around Sonoma County Public Areas

The Board of Supervisors will be voting on a resolution to adopt an Integrated Pest Management system and prohibit the use of synthetic pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, in sensitive areas.

Let your voice be heard! We urge you to show up at the meeting and let Board of Supervisors know that our county’s residents are unified in opposition to the use of dangerous synthetic pesticides in our public spaces! Show them that their constituents demand they make the responsible decision!

Over the past three years SCCA has worked diligently to ban Toxic Pesticides, such as Glyphosate (Round-Up) and neonicotinoids, in Sonoma County public areas. SCCA has led the way in advocating for and achieving restricted use of these dangerous chemicals in various cities in the County, such as Santa Rosa, Windsor, Sonoma and Petaluma;. These cities are now safer and greener for all residents. We are currently engaged in organizing bans in the remaining cities through our Canvass, spreading the word through community discussions and educational events in Rohnert Park and Cotati, as well as helping organize local activists in Cloverdale.

For too long the solution to pest control and weed abatement has been to spray more harmful chemicals on the problem, with little regard for the direct effects of these chemicals on our community members and the environment. We now know the terrible health hazards associated with not only Round-Up but many other pesticides used by city and county workers, all in the name of controlling weeds in our parks and open spaces. We have non toxic alternatives that can be a part of a more responsible Integrated Pest Management System. SCCA is dedicated to lead the way through education, canvassing and advocacy, aiding Sonoma County to realize the goal of a true toxic free future for our families, neighbors and communities.

Help us fund this critical work with $5, $15, $55, or $150 now!

Support Now

The County has already:

✔️ Stopped spraying on the County Complex

✔️ Worked on integrated pest management plans to reduce pesticide use by Transportation & Public Works, Sonoma Water and Regional Parks

✔️ Started testing OMRI (certified organic) and mechanical alternatives to synthetic pesticides.

On Tuesday when the resolution passes we will:

✔️ Establish official NO SPRAY ZONES to include playgrounds, plazas, playing fields, sidewalks, libraries and county campuses;

✔️ Direct staff to formally map and publish a list of all no-spray zones by the end of the year (which will include the areas mentioned above, and more);

✔️Commit to annual public reporting of pesticide use to ensure transparency and accountability to our policies;

✔️ Establish County policy to eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides in highly trafficked areas, eliminate routine synthetic pesticide use in our parks and open space, and prioritize organic and mechanical alternatives.

SCCA is member funded and can not do this important work without the support of our community. Please consider becoming a sustaining member and donate monthly or quarterly to enable SCCA’s fight for a healthy and green Sonoma County!

As Conservation Action moves toward the future, we know we’ll need a strong board and staffing presence to implement our plans and goals. In this era of Trumpian breaking-of-norms, we aim to be a solid base to grow grassroots policy and leaders.

Two New Board Members.

To that end, we’re happy to announce Blake Hooper, aide to Congressman Jared Huffman, and Miles Burgin, member of Wine Country Young Democrats have joined the Board. These two active community members bring important insights to our Board table from the national and local perspective. We are committed to growing Conservation Action through this transition time, and we are grateful for the continued support of our community in helping to ensure that SCCA remains our County’s watchdog and environmental steward as our community faces the growing pressures of development, social and environmental injustice, and climate change.

Dedicated and Talented Staff.

On the staffing front, we are lucky to have dedicated staff working daily for Conservation Action. Erica Buonasissi, Operations Manager, and Matt Callaway, Canvass Director, will be keeping our campaigns moving forward, with Board direction and participation.  Both Matt and Erica are seasoned in Conservation Action operations and management, and we’re confident in the role they will play going forward. We are preparing for the coming election season in 2020, and have a number of important issue campaigns to press forward in the coming months.

Interim Executive Management.

Additionally, our former longtime Executive Director, Dennis Rosatti, has agreed to a short term role in helping guide our internal and external affairs while the Board takes a breath and prepares to search for new permanent staffing, and we as an organization work full steam ahead on campaigns and our Gala. Dennis has a strong knowledge of what it takes to make Conservation Action go, and has expanded his service offerings since leaving Conservation Action to include non-profit executive support, as well as public relations and campaign management.

Chief Financial Officer consultant.

Also, the Board is pleased to announce a financial consultant arrangement with City of Sebastopol Councilwoman Una Glass, a  longtime former SCCA Board Member and former Coastwalk CA Executive Director. Ms Glass has a growing clientele of non-profits under her guidance, and we look forward to a continued partnership with her oversight.

Open Executive Director role.

We will release an announcement in the months ahead about the process to fill this role. We also are aiming to announce some new additions to our Board of Directors in the coming months, as we still have some space for a variety of input at our Board table.

Celebrate with us!

We look forward to seeing many of you at our Grassroots Gala on July 13th, where we celebrate 28 years of success in the face of environmental challenges. Congressman Jared Huffman will discuss “Environmentalism in the Age of Trump,”  and we also have a special video message from renowned climate change activist Bill McKibben. More information on tickets and sponsorships are available at: www.conservationaction.org/Gala2019.

Sincerely,

Neal Fishman, Board President

Michael Allen, Board Chairman

Measure M, Sonoma County Parks for All, won with over 72% of the vote! This was achieved through support of the SCCA canvass knocking on over 10,000 doors around the county. Also, SCCA-endorsed candidates for City Councils and SRJC Board of Trustees had a 75% success rate in the November election! Additionally, of our few candidates who lost, all but 2 lost to incumbents (which is a higher hurdle). We are very pleased with the local make-up of our Councils and expect stronger environmental action from them in the coming years.

After many weeks of reviewing applications, conducting interviews and research, SCCA is excited to announce our endorsements for the 2018 November election! The names below represent forward thinking leadership on conservation and broader environmental policy in Sonoma County. We hope that you will take our endorsement under consideration as you make your voting decisions this November, and vote for the environment and better communities. (more…)

On Wednesday night, September 5 2018 the Town Council of Windsor voted unanimously to ban the use of all synthetic pesticides, effective immediately. This decision is the result of over a year of work initiated by a local Windsor resident, Rosa Gray. Rosa noticed the Town spraying a walking trail across from her house and was worried about possible exposure to her small children. She reached out to Sonoma County Conservation Action for help in convincing Windsor to use a less toxic approach.

Pesticides including weed killers (herbicides) are commonly used in public spaces in Sonoma County for routine weed control. Synthetic or man-made pesticides are long-lasting toxicants in the environment, linked to many human health problems. Children are particularly vulnerable to toxicants like pesticides. Many are known carcinogens (cancer-causing) and endocrine disruptors, which affect development and reproductive health in both males and females.

Early support of this effort came from Council Member Deb Fudge. The first step Windsor Public Works took toward protecting residents from accidental exposure to the pesticides being used was to put up signs before and after spray events. The signs helped residents avoid recently treated areas and also spread awareness around pesticide use in the community.

This awareness created public support for a formal discussion at the September 5th council meeting. Conservation Action joined forces with many Windsor residents including members of the local Windsor Wellness Group, and representatives from a variety of local non-profit organizations including Daily Acts and Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxics Safety (FACTS). There were over a dozen testimonies from area residents, some scientific and fact-based, others emotional, all encouraging the Town to not only ban RoundUp (glyphosate) but to ban ALL synthetic pesticides.

We applaud the Town of Windsor for doing what they can to protect people, pets, and the environment.

Contact us if you want to learn more about how you can help your City or School become toxic free!

by Chris Grabill, SCCA Board Member

12/1/17

More than 100,000 acres burned in the October wildfires, including hundreds of homes along Sonoma County’s streams and creeks. This scale of disaster has a sizable and devastating effect on our water sources.

As winter rains pick up, they add the serious danger of hazardous materials entering our waterways, soils, and groundwater.

The burn area includes 617 streams and creeks, each with numerous damaged home sites in water runoff zones. Clean up efforts are moving as quickly as possible, and we are grateful for Cal Fire’s efforts — but the enormous extent of the fire damage often means that high priority hazards can be overlooked.

For example, days before our first rain, electrical wires lay scattered in Mark West Creek, along with arsenic- and creosote-pressure treated wood debris from 38 different bridges.

Based on our local knowledge, relationships with landowners, and our direct link to state cleanup agencies, SCCA members helped to target and mobilize State Agencies to get the toxic debris removed in a matter of days, just before the rains hit.

This is difficult and intricately detailed work, beyond the capacity of any single agency or organization. Every single dwelling site needs our attention, compassion for the owners and our help to contain the most immediate threat from of toxic ash and rain runoff into waterways.

We have a narrow window to prevent mass contamination through this rainy season, and it will need us all to step up. This means closely coordinating all actions. Grassroots groups move nimbly, but government which tends to be slower, has the resources.

We need to communicate consistent best practices as a community and align our monitoring efforts. If we want to build community trust, and protect ourselves and natural ecosystems from toxins, we must not work in silos. We simply don’t have the time for it.

This is where grassroots shines. And we’ll need your help.