70% of fumigation companies are owned by Latino families. For decades, immigrants and low-income fumigation workers have not only been able to support their families, but also attain the American Dream of owning their own businesses through hard work.
AMERICAN DREAM
LATINO WORKERS
90% of workers are minorities.
Wages range from about $17 to $65 per hour.
Fumigation companies offer training and a ladder for advancement.
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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.