Countywide : Medfly Emergency State OKd Again

Voting on the issue for what they hope is the last time, Orange County supervisors on Tuesday reaffirmed that the county is in a state of emergency over the infestation of the Mediterranean fruit fly.

“I believe this is the last time we have to take this action,” Supervisor Don R. Roth, the board’s chairman, announced to his colleagues during Tuesday’s session.

Roth has said several times that he would not continue approving the state of emergency but has nevertheless unfailingly voted for it, giving the board a narrow 3-2 margin in favor of the declaration, which must be renewed every two weeks. The emergency declaration helps bolster the county’s immunity from lawsuits that might arise from the state’s spraying of malathion inside the county limits.

Under the state schedule, Orange County’s last sprayings are set for May 3, and the supervisors look forward to being free of the issue, which has been vexing because questions have been raised about the pesticide’s safety.

“I think that this is hopefully an indication that we’ve finally turned the corner on this entire issue,” said Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez. “It’s always difficult for us to approve these states of emergency” when they drag on for months at a time, he added.

Even as the supervisors anticipated the end of the sprayings, however, some Medfly experts were raising doubts about whether they should end on schedule. Richard Rice, a UC Davis entomologist and one of the state’s scientific advisers in the eradication effort, told The Times on Monday that the state is “real close to losing” its battle against the Medfly.

Rice and other state science advisers are skeptical of the plan to phase out spraying by May 9. But Orange County officials said Tuesday that they have not heard of any changes in the county’s spraying schedule. Although 11 Medflies have been discovered in Southern California over the past two weeks, none have been found in Orange County.

If the deadline were to be extended, Roth said, it could shake board support for future sprayings. Supervisors Roger R. Stanton and Harriett M. Wieder consistently oppose approving the emergency declaration, and Roth reiterated that his own support could not be counted on in the future.

He stopped short of refusing to consider an extension, however. “I’ll . . . cross that bridge when I come to it,” he said.

Although the county hopes to soon end its emergency on the Medfly, the supervisors voted Tuesday to affirm the county health officer’s determination that an unrelated state of emergency exists as a result of a raging measles epidemic. Unanimously agreeing that the measles have created a “public health hazard,” the board also gave its approval for the county to seek a state grant for combatting the illness.

The $304,424 grant, which includes $152,212 of state money and an equal amount of local funding, will be applied for this week, said Health Officer L. Rex Ehling. He added that state officials have reviewed an earlier draft of the application and have tentatively indicated that they will provide the money.