There’s Anger in the Air as Garden Grove Hears News

The news spread quickly Friday that more malathion is coming to Garden Grove, a city already subjected to seven aerial pesticide bombardments in the battle against the Medfly.

And the judgment on the streets was just as swift.

“Why are they still spraying?” demanded resident Jackie VanGrol, selecting groceries in a supermarket. “We haven’t found any more flies and this aerial spraying just isn’t safe. This was a bad decision. They need to consider the alternatives.”

Another shopper, Snow Pecinovsky, agreed with VanGrol, but expressed confusion as well.

“I don’t know what should be done,” Pecinovsky said. “What happens if they stop spraying? What will that mean? How dangerous is malathion? I just don’t know.”

Although the announcement was not made until early Friday afternoon, at 3 p.m. many residents and business owners had already heard about the indefinite extension. The overwhelming majority opposed further spraying, saying it was unhealthy and ineffective.

The announcement came after a round of spraying overnight Thursday that had been promised to be the last.

“It’s ludicrous,” said B&J; Auto Parts store owner Paul Schafer. “I think we’ve opened Pandora’s box by continuing with the spraying. No one can say what’s going to be the long-term effect on our health.”

In the shop, Shafer’s wife Arlene said the spraying doesn’t bother her, but customer Paul Parry said the safety of malathion has yet to be demonstrated.

“We’ve wasted an awful lot of money just to save some fruit,” said Parry, a Garden Grove resident of 35 years. “What about the people? Don’t they count? I think we need to take a look at our priorities.”

Parry called the decision to resume spraying a blatant disregard of residents’ wants and needs.

“If this is the way our so-called legislators express their concern about the citizens, we should get rid of them,” Parry said.

“One person is worth a million oranges,” said Rae Arroyo, local record store owner.

“What are they trying to do? So we get our oranges from Florida--big deal. Enough is enough. You do it once, twice, three times and it doesn’t work. Enough is enough. Stop it. The people don’t want it.”

Like many of those interviewed, Shafer and Parry expressed concern over malathion’s effect on gardening. Shafer showed Polaroid pictures taken Friday morning of his aphid-infested strawberry plants.

“Malathion doesn’t touch the aphids--they stay on the underside of the leaf,” Shafer said. “I haven’t seen my shrubs so full of them in at least 12 years.”

Shafer said he hasn’t seen a ladybug in over four months.

“What’s going to happen come fall and you want pollination to take place?” he asked.

Forty-year Garden Grove resident Sybil Mermer also worried about what the spraying would do to the environment.

“They’ve killed all the ladybugs and bumblebees--how are the plants going to get pollinated?” Mermer asked. “This just isn’t logical. I don’t think the spraying is going to help one doggone bit.”

Of 24 residents interviewed Friday, 18 said they are opposed the spraying, citing concerns over long- and short-term effects on health. The others were either indifferent or felt they didn’t know enough about the subject to comment.

An informal survey produced repeated suggestions that the government look into alternatives to aerial spraying, including mandatory fruit tree stripping, ground spraying, better import controls and bringing in an insect that will consume the Medfly.

“I think we should go back to doing what my grandfather and great-grandfather did, using natural bugs to get rid of the pests,” said Bonnie Dowling, who works in Garden Grove.

BATTLE OF THE MEDFLY RAGES ON

A brief history of the Southland’s on-again, off-again war on the Mediterranean fruit fly.

July-August, 1989: Nearly three-dozen fertile Medflies are found in the Elysian Park area of Los Angeles. The state responds with limited malathion spraying, sterile releases and fruit quarantining.

Nov. 17, 1989: Orange County’s first Medfly is discovered in Brea.

Nov. 30, 1989: State helicopters swoop down over an eight-square-mile area around Brea for Orange County’s first aerial malathion spraying.

Dec. 8, 1989: State officials, conceding that they greatly underestimated the Medfly’s hold in the area and its threat to the state’s agriculture, drastically escalate their attack. They order more sprayings over a wide swath of residential areas.

Jan. 10, 1990: A fertile Medfly is found in Garden Grove, triggering spraying two weeks later in a 36-mile area that includes nine Orange County cities.

March 20: Despite warnings from their scientific advisers, agriculture officials announce that spraying over most areas will end by May 9.

May 4: Medfly scientific advisers say spraying should continue and be used more aggressively. State agriculture officials, conceding they were too optimistic about the May 9 deadline, accept the recommendation in principle. More spraying dates will be announced next week.