Governor Firm on Spraying, Aide Asserts

Gov. George Deukmejian will not be swayed by El Cajon City Council’s attempts to keep helicopters from spraying malathion over a 16-square-mile residential area, a state official said Wednesday.

When told of the council’s decision to sue the state unless the governor called off the spraying by Friday, Robert Gore, the governor’s press secretary, said, “The emergency order has been signed and it stands. The decision to spray is not a political decision but one that is made by the experts who advise the Department of Food and Agriculture. Other cities have taken legal action that has failed, and the federal government as well has indicated that if California fails to spray, it is more than willing to step in and take similar action.”

The governor’s rebuff came as the state began to distribute an official announcement of the spraying, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday at 9 p.m. The one-page document asserts that the toxicity of malathion is “approximately the same as laundry detergent,” and that pregnant women “have no cause for concern.”

But the flyer also cautions that residents of the spray area should protect their cars from the spray because “the protein bait may cause blemishes or discoloration to the finish.” The flyer says that an average of 0.000049 of an ounce of malathion will be deposited per square foot in the sprayed area. What residents are more likely to notice, however, is the sticky bait in which the pesticide will be suspended--a corn syrup solution intended to lure Mexican fruit flies to ingest enough poison “to kill a fly.”

The proposed spraying is a response to a suspected infestation of Mexican fruit flies, or Mexflies. Since April 25, three Mexflies have been trapped within a quarter mile of John F. Kennedy Park, just south of Interstate 8.

Tonight at 7, state and county officials have scheduled an educational public meeting at Granite Hills High School, 1719 E. Madison Ave. Two hot lines have also been established to answer questions about malathion. For health questions, call 1-800-439-6359. For agricultural questions, call 1-800-427-6359, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.