Tenting California

As a a leader in my region, I am writing to make you aware of a state regulatory matter with potentially far-reaching ramifications to our community.

Specifically, the California Department of Pesticide Regulations (CDPR) is considering imposing dramatic and unnecessary restrictions on termite and other fumigations to kill pests in homes and apartments. I have heard from a wide range of residents, businesses and advocacy groups that are voicing concern about how CDPR’s proposal could compromise public health and seriously disrupt our local real estate market.

It is my understanding that California already has the world’s most stringent regulations in this area and that there is no new scientific evidence or public health issue that warrants any change to the current process. In fact, the current process already has safety provisions built in.

People throughout our community would be hit hard by these new restrictions:

• More than 70 percent of all fumigation companies in Southern California are owned and operated by Latino families
• Nearly 85 percent of all fumigation workers are Latino
• Fumigation workers make more than $15 per hour
• Fumigation is a requirement for government-backed home mortgages – more red tape will be more costly and hurt our real estate economy
• Working families will be forced to spend more money they don’t have to leave their homes or apartments for longer periods of time
• Fumigation kills wood boring insects and keeps structures strong and able to withstand earthquakes. Reducing incentives to maintain dwellings could lead to greater loss of life and property when the Southland is hit by the next big earthquake
• Fumigation also kills bed bugs, cockroaches and rats, which spread disease – especially in low-income communities

These are just some of the complaints I am hearing, so I wanted to make you aware of what is taking place at CDPR. On behalf our community, I would appreciate your review of this matter and ask for your support in requesting CDPR to refrain from imposing any new regulations that are not grounded in science or public health but will only hurt our residents and businesses.

Dear _____________:

As a member of the _________________ City Council, I am writing to make you aware of a state regulatory matter with potentially far-reaching ramifications to our community.

Specifically, the California Department of Pesticide Regulations (CDPR) is considering imposing dramatic and unnecessary restrictions on termite and other fumigations to kill pests in homes and apartments. I have heard from a wide range of residents, businesses and advocacy groups that are voicing concern about how CDPR’s proposal could compromise public health and seriously disrupt our local real estate market.

It is my understanding that California already has the world’s most stringent regulations in this area and that there is no new scientific evidence or public health issue that warrants any change to the current process.

People throughout our community would be hit hard by these new restrictions:

• More than 70 percent of all fumigation companies in Southern California
  are owned and operated by Latino families
• Nearly 85 percent of all workers are Latino
• Fumigation is a requirement for home mortgages – more red tape will be more costly and hurt our real estate economy
• Working families will be forced to spend more money they don’t have to leave their homes or apartments for longer periods of time
• Fumigation helps keep structures strong and able to withstand earthquakes. Reducing incentives to maintain dwellings could lead to greater loss of life and property when the Southland is hit by the next big earthquake
• Fumigation also kills bed bugs, cockroaches and rats, which spread disease
• These are just some of the complaints I am hearing, so I wanted to make you aware of what is taking place at CDPR.

On behalf our community, I would appreciate your review of this matter and ask for your support in requesting CDPR to refrain from imposing any new regulations that are not grounded in science or public health, but will only hurt our residents and businesses.

Dear Legislator,

I live in your district and am very concerned about the State making it harder for me to run my pest control business.  My company provides valuable fumigation services that are required for the vast majority of real estate transactions in order for buyers to obtain a loan.

In addition, our services are vital for protecting people from human health pests such as bed bugs.

It is my understanding that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation is considering new restrictions that will require an already comprehensive process to become even more time consuming and burdensome to the consumer.  Fumigation requires treated buildings to be vacated during the process and people must find a place to stay at an additional expense.  Multifamily dwellings create even more strain on people’s wallets when they have to pay for a hotel while they leave a property they don’t even own so it can be treated to make it safe to inhabit.  Proposed changes by the Department of Pesticide Regulation will require more time out of the property and in some cases, eliminate the ability to be treated at all.

We are already highly regulated and California currently has the most stringent fumigation regulations in the United States that ensure the safety of my customers, their neighbors, and my workers. The new regulations are based on proposed exposure limits that are three times more restrictive than those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and seven times more restrictive than those required by the European Union.

I am asking for your help.  These proposed changes will only cause harm to the local economy and allow structurally devastating and disease carrying pests to go untreated.  We must hold the Department of Pesticide Regulation accountable to make sound scientific decisions.

You are the only outlet I have to express my concerns.  I am looking for your voice and support in this matter!

I am writing to voice my concern on behalf of all those like me who work in international trade – whether union dockworkers or businesses that rely on importing and exporting.

Specifically, we are very disturbed about a regulatory proposal by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) that directly threatens our jobs at California ports, where fumigation of numerous products is mandated by the countries we do business with.

The fumigation is necessary to ensure that dangerous pests are not inadvertently shipped with cargo. It is not uncommon for quarantined insects to hide in machinery and other goods bound for foreign markets.

Similarly, California and the United States also required that imports be inspected and treated for pests that we cannot afford to have in our country.

Unfortunately, a measure by CDPR would make it more difficult to fumigate these shipments, which puts all of our jobs at risk because ships will not wait for additional time to process cargo.

California ports and trade support a wide range of high-paying union and non-union jobs. Please let CDPR know how its proposal will undermine this strong sector of the California economy.

With respect and appreciation.

Our local economy is reliant on real estate, which depends on pest management to eradicate termites to qualify for a government backed mortgages, like FHA or VA loans. Pest management is also critical to get rid of bed bugs, cockroaches, mice and rats that can infest homes and apartments.

So our chamber is very interested in any local, state or federal laws that would interfere with our economic prosperity, especially when it comes to Latino- owned businesses.

In the Los Angeles region, more than 70 percent of fumigation companies are small businesses owned and operated by Hispanics. They are honest workers who provide jobs paying more than $15 per hour to Hispanics looking to share in the American Dream.

I have been contacted by a number of Latino pest control owners who are worried that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation is considering new restrictions that would greatly hamper these businesses and hurt our real estate market. These restrictions will ultimately put them of business.

In addition to the impact on businesses, their customers also could suffer. Many of these working families will be forced to spend more money they don’t have to leave their homes or apartments for longer periods of time. Also, if apartment owners are unable to tent and fumigate a building, residents may be forced to live in dwellings with an unacceptable level of pests that spread diseases and damage their quality of life.

On behalf our community, I would appreciate your review of this matter. Please contact CDPR and let them know that their polices threaten an important sector of our local economy and the hundreds of hardworking Latinos who depend on pest management for their livelihoods and their quality of life.

With respect and appreciation.

Dear Legislator,

As a property manager in your district, I am writing to voice my concerns about a state regulatory matter with potentially far-reaching ramifications to our community.

Specifically, the California Department of Pesticide Regulations (CDPR) is considering imposing dramatic and unnecessary restrictions on termite and other fumigations to kill pests in homes and apartments. These fumigations are the best way to get rid of such pests infesting the residents of our multi-family dwellings. (i.e. apartment, condos, etc.)

In a best-case scenario, my residents would be forced to stay out of their properties for anywhere from 3 to 5 days depending on what day a fumigation takes place (as opposed to 2 days) . Many of these people do not have anywhere to stay or the means to pay for a hotel room for their families. At times people  sleep in their cars due to not having family or the money to pay for an addition lodging.

In a worst-case scenario, these properties will not be able to be fumigated at all. This will result in increasingly poor living conditions; it also will compromise the structural integrity of our properties; this could lead not only to an inability to sell the properties, but also makes them more likely to be vulnerable to collapse during an earthquake.

It is my understanding that California already has the world’s most stringent regulations in this area and that there is no new scientific evidence or public health issue that warrants any change to the current process. In all my years managing properties, I have never had a problem with a fumigation.

On behalf of our community, I would appreciate your review of this matter and ask for your support in requesting CDPR to refrain from imposing any new regulations that are not grounded in science or public health, but will only hurt our residents and businesses.

I am resident and real estate agent in ________________. I am contacting you about something I heard about a proposed state regulation that could make it harder for me to help my customers buy or sell homes in our community.

In order for me to sell a home or apartment, most buyers demand a property to be free of termites and other pests. The only way to make sure of that is to tent a home and have it fumigated. This process has worked well ever since I started selling homes, so I am not sure why the State of California wants to add more restrictions. I have been told the agency that regulates termite fumigations – Dept. of Pesticide Regulations – is thinking about making it more restrictive to kill termites and make homes ready for sale.

While the state may have its reasons, I doubt if they have thought through how the housing market depends on a treatment that is effective, quick and convenient. My concern is that the state will discourage termite treatments by making them too expensive or difficult. I am afraid potential sellers may not want the hassle and could decide to take homes off the market. Also, if new regulations make it more complicated to treat termites, it could delay the process and slow down the time it takes to complete a sale.

Homebuyers and sellers don’t like to wait, especially when it is for no good reason. Our industry can’t afford another layer of red tape.

Because you represent our community, I am hoping you can look into this and let the right people at DPR, Cal-EPA and Governor’s office know they shouldn’t be trying to fix a something that is not broken.

Thank you!

Dear Legislator:

I am writing you about a state regulation that is going to make it harder for me to lend money to my customers who want to buy homes in our community.

As a mortgage lender, I must follow all sorts of federal and state laws. I understand that many of them are necessary. But some seem like a waste of time and make it more difficult to get a family into their dream home. That’s why I am concerned about a proposed pesticide policy that will disrupt termite treatments.

By law, homes cannot be covered by a government-backed mortgage if they are not free of termites. Making it harder and more expensive to fumigate homes to kill termites will add additional costs, delay the mortgage closing process and negatively impact both the sellers and homebuyers. Of course, California’s wealthier residents won’t be hit as hard by this rule, if they can pay cash to buy a home.

I have been in the mortgage lending business for many years and have never had any problems related to fumigation. So why change things?

This seems over the top to me. Please use your power as an elected official to make sure CDPR does not create more problems for people like me in the real estate business. The lending community is not prepared to adjust our policies for funding and closing loans if these changes are implemented. I appreciate anything you can do to help.