Board extends emergency declaration for illegal pesticides, approves amnesty turn‑in and letters to state and federal agencies

Sheriff Jeremiah Rue told the Board of Supervisors the matter before them was a 60‑day update on a local emergency tied to illegal pesticides and asked the board to “request the continuous extension.” Brian Shelley, director of emergency services, said the county had sought state assistance but “Cal OES is replying back with the letter saying, no. They don't see this as a state of emergency,” and the county is urging reconsideration by asking state and federal agencies to visit and review ecological damage firsthand.

After discussion, the board voted to extend the local emergency. A subsequent motion approved forwarding the county’s emergency‑services letter to state authorities and directing the board to draft a supplemental letter supporting reconsideration. The board recorded ayes during roll call and adopted both motions.

Shelley and Sheriff Rue said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had opened a parallel investigation and that the county had directed that any collected soil or water samples be turned over to federal agencies. Regan (community development director) told the board cost estimates for cleanup were preliminary and “in the neighborhood, 25,000, $30,000 per year” based on other counties’ experiences.

Public commenters urged more community outreach, translation and safe‑handling guidance. One speaker, Liza Yaw, said, “I'm not hearing anything to try and help the community to, safely, disclose of this,” and asked the county to allocate funds for education and safe collection. Another resident urged the county to favor treatment and remediation rather than demolition of affected homes.

Shelley and public‑health staff said county public‑health is beginning to track medical visits that may be related to exposures and will work on a matrix to identify misdiagnoses and exposure patterns. Sheriff Rue reported contact from EPA Region 9; Shelley said Region 10 EDA in Oregon had also reached out.

The county approved a one‑day amnesty and turn‑in event for hazardous pesticides to remove product from circulation. Officials said the event will be staffed by a contracted hazardous‑materials team piggybacking on an existing DTSC contract; the county will pay up front from the general fund and expects reimbursement through the Department of Justice. The county announced the event will be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 812 and Highway 97; officials will report back on quantities collected and costs.

Board members directed staff to post public‑facing messaging — sandwich boards and online resources — and requested a report on turn‑in volumes, costs and any follow‑up medical‑monitoring data. No criminal outcomes were recorded during the meeting; officials said environmental health site visits and potential felony charges would follow investigative findings if enforcement was warranted.

The board's actions on the emergency declaration included extension of the local proclamation, approval of OES’s letter to the state, and a directive that the board chair sign a supplemental county letter urging Cal OES and federal agencies to reconsider support and provide assistance for cleanup and community outreach.