Wilson Will Keep Voss as Director of Agriculture : Politics: Department chief had been criticized by some for handling of malathion spraying. Governor-elect switches responsibility for regulating pesticides to new agency.

Food and Agriculture Director Henry Voss, whose handling of this year’s Mediterranean fruit fly infestation drew harsh criticism from some Southern California residents, was named Monday by Gov.-elect Pete Wilson to continue serving as director of the department.

Wilson, in an endorsement of the farm policies of the Deukmejian Administration, signaled that he will continue supporting the agriculture industry on such key issues as Medfly eradication, water allocation and trade promotion.

At the same time, the governor-elect said he will strip the Department of Food and Agriculture of its authority to register pesticides and monitor their use. Instead, Wilson will turn that responsibility over to a new California Environmental Protection Agency. The agriculture department has drawn fire for its dual and sometimes conflicting role of promoting agriculture while regulating pesticides that farmers use.

The selection of Voss immediately drew an enthusiastic response from agriculture interests. Wilson, who received substantial campaign backing from farmers, got a standing ovation when he announced his choice Monday morning during a convention of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

“It seems to be a popular appointment,” Wilson observed. Shortly afterward he told reporters: “Mr. Voss has my confidence.”

The choice was criticized by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), who said the nomination will face tough scrutiny in the Senate because of Voss’ approval of aerial malathion spraying over residential areas of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly.

“Mr. Voss hasn’t displayed an excessive degree of sentiment to the problems of people who live in cities,” Roberti said. “He will be grilled on that matter when he comes up for confirmation.”

Voss, 57, a San Joaquin Valley farmer, has been Gov. George Deukmejian’s director of Food and Agriculture since May, 1989. He narrowly won Senate confirmation last March. Before his appointment, he served seven years as president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

During his directorship, the department has come under attack from environmentalists and farm labor advocates who charge that it is a pawn of the industry it is supposed to regulate.

In addition to the aerial pesticide spraying, the department has been criticized for allowing farmers to continue using hazardous pesticides and for its allegedly lax enforcement of laws designed to protect farm workers. One of Voss’ most controversial decisions was his approval of two pesticides, aldicarb and atrazine, despite evidence they are polluting ground water in California.

After Wilson announced his appointment, Voss defended his department’s record but acknowledged that “the time has come” to remove control of pesticides from the Food and Agriculture Department.

“I believe the department has done a very good job,” Voss told reporters. “(But) there seems to be an overwhelming feeling that the department has a conflict of interest, and for the best interest of agriculture let’s remove that perception of a conflict.”

Wilson’s reorganization plan calls for the creation of an Environmental Protection Agency that would be responsible for all environmental issues now handled by a variety of state agencies.

“What we’re interested in putting under one roof--under one cabinet officer--are all of the functions that relate to the protection of environmental quality,” Wilson told reporters. Wilson said that under his plan, the Department of Food and Agriculture would focus more heavily on its mission of promoting California agriculture here and abroad.

The department would retain the authority to conduct aerial spraying of malathion if it is necessary to wipe out Medfly infestations. It is unclear, aides to Wilson said, whether the director would keep some authority over pesticides, including the power to ban those that contaminate ground water.

“I don’t think you’re going to see much of a difference,” Voss said. “I don’t think things would be done very differently had they been over in another agency.”

Both Wilson and Voss said they hope to handle Medfly infestations with the release of sterile flies. Voss said facilities are now operating that can produce 1 billion sterile flies a week--more than five times the number available at the height of this summer’s infestation.

Wilson said aerial spraying of malathion over urban neighborhoods could again become necessary and added: “I’d rather do it than have the federal government do it.”

Wilson’s appointment of Voss and his willingness to spray malathion prompted criticism from Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), whose San Fernando Valley district was among the areas treated this year.

“It appears that Wilson will continue Deukmejian’s ‘spray first, ask questions later’ policy,” Katz said. “It’s disappointing that the new governor isn’t going to show more sensitivity to urban concerns and people who don’t like being sprayed by pesticides.”