Amended  IN  Assembly  June 20, 2024
Amended  IN  Assembly  June 06, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 1252

Introduced by Senator Stern

February 15, 2024

An act to amend Section 2101 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to pest control.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1252, as amended, Stern. California Mosquito Surveillance and Research Program.
Existing law establishes the California Mosquito Surveillance and Research Program, which is administered by the University of California, Davis, and requires the university to maintain an interactive internet website for management and dissemination of data on mosquitoborne virus and surveillance control and coordinate with the State Department of Public Health, among other functions, to the extent the program receives federal, state, or private funding for those purposes, as specified.
This bill would require the program to consult with partners at the University of California and the California State University about the most up-to-date research pertaining to mosquito abatement, as specified. including sustainable pest management, as defined.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 2101 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

2101.
 (a) There is hereby established the California Mosquito Surveillance and Research Program to be administered by the University of California, Davis, which shall perform all of the following functions:
(1) Maintain an interactive internet website for management and dissemination of data on mosquitoborne virus and surveillance control.
(2) Work in conjunction with local mosquito abatement and vector control districts to conduct research on arbovirus surveillance, transmission of vectorborne diseases, and mosquito ecology and control.
(3) Coordinate with the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California, State Department of Public Health, local mosquito abatement and vector control districts, local governments, and other affected stakeholders to share information.
(4) Consult with partners at the University of California and the California State University about the most up-to-date research pertaining to mosquito abatement, including, but not limited to, nature-based solutions. sustainable pest management.
(b) The program established by this section shall perform the functions described in subdivision (a) to the extent the program receives federal or state grants or private donations or grants made for those purposes.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Integrated pest management” means an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.
(2) “Sustainable pest management” means a holistic, whole-system approach applicable to agricultural and other managed ecosystems and urban and rural communities that builds on the concept of integrated pest management to include the wider context of the three sustainability pillars: human health and social equity, environmental protection, and economic vitality.
(d) For the purposes of this section, biological control includes, but is not limited to, bats as pest suppressors, dragonfly preservation and restoration, and controls that address invasive crayfish species.