San Francisco commission adopts 2021 reduced-risk pesticide list, further limits Roundup use

The San Francisco Commission on the Environment on Monday adopted a resolution approving the 2021 Reduced Risk Pesticide List for city properties, moving the department to tighten controls on certain herbicides and formalize alternatives.

Director Deborah Raffel presented the policy committee's recommendation and introduced Chris Geiger, the Integrated Pest Management program manager, who reviewed pesticide-use trends and the proposed list. Geiger told commissioners the city has cut use of the program'''s "tier 1" (most hazardous) pesticides dramatically since 2010, noting the metric shows a 97% reduction over that baseline. He said glyphosate use on city properties is down about 98.4% since 2010 and staff are proposing additional, targeted restrictions on Roundup beyond current limitations.

Geiger described a small recent increase in reported tier 1 use. He said the rise was partly driven by borate (borax) treatments used to preserve and protect historic wood at sites including the Pioneer Log Cabin and the Japanese Tea Garden, and by large-but-low-hazard applications at Harding Park golf course (mineral oil and neem oil). Geiger also described removing an organic product called "Weedslayer" from the approved list after learning the manufacturer had misrepresented its ingredients.

"If it's too good to be true, probably it is," Geiger said, and explained the list revisions include adding a few lower-risk options (for example, certain botanical agents and a bird repellent) while narrowing allowable uses of more hazardous products.

Commissioner Wald moved to approve the resolution; Commissioner Sullivan seconded. After no public comment, a roll-call vote was taken. President Stevenson, Vice President Ahn, Commissioners Bermejo, Hunter, Sullivan, Wald and Juan voted aye; the motion passed unanimously.

Geiger, who said he will move on from the IPM program after 18 years with the department, framed the work as harm reduction that balances pest control needs with minimizing risks to people and the environment. "IPM is not a pesticide reduction program alone," he said. "It's a harm reduction program," emphasizing training, interdepartmental collaboration, and alternatives.

The department will incorporate the revised language into city protocols and implement the updated list for city operations. Staff said they will continue pilot-testing alternatives and report updates to the commission as programs are deployed.