Ag Office’s New Outlook

New faces and new attitudes in the Ventura County agricultural commissioner’s office bring high hopes that the controversy that has plagued this important agency for the past few years can be put to rest.

Vacancies have been filled and two additional inspectors hired--including, for the first time, a deputy commissioner dedicated full time to pesticide enforcement.

The changes, says Commissioner Earl McPhail, “will give us more people out in the field so that we are able to do more inspections and make sure everything is done correctly. I think that will help answer a lot of people’s concerns.”

Those concerns reached the kindling point earlier this year when the integrity and competence of the agency were severely challenged by reports suggesting it has been indifferent to public concerns and lax in upholding pesticide laws. The state Department of Pesticide Regulation pronounced that the operation suffered from shoddy investigations, lenient enforcement and poor record-keeping.

Over the past three years, residents have become more vocal about pesticide use near homes and schools. Many complained to the agricultural commissioner’s office, only to come away feeling their concerns were disregarded. Environmentalists and public health advocates took up the cause, accusing the office and longtime Commissioner McPhail of failing to adequately respond to residents’ concerns and of underplaying pesticide-related health hazards. Defenders countered that McPhail had become a target for groups intent on co-opting the commissioner’s office and banning pesticides altogether.

The conflict came to a head in January when the Board of Supervisors refused to renew McPhail’s contract and gave him six months to fix the problems. In July, satisfied with his progress, the board reappointed McPhail and increased funding to add an inspector and a deputy commissioner.

This turmoil coincides with increasing friction between Ventura County’s $1-billion agricultural industry and its suburban neighbors. As the county has grown and housing tracts have invaded once-isolated farmland, conflicts have increased. The commissioner’s office has had to take on a broader role of enforcer and educator.

The new deputy commissioner, Susan Johnson of Fillmore, seems well prepared to play that role. She oversaw the pesticide enforcement program in Kings County for 10 years before joining the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, where she has worked for three years as liaison between the state agency and Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“I know exactly what the major issues are and the idea of being able to get in there and fix something is very appealing to me,” Johnson says. She plans to start by clearing the decks of pending enforcement cases and educating the public on the department’s role in pesticide enforcement.

“People deserve access to public officials. They deserve a response, even if they don’t like the response. And they deserve answers to their questions and information on how they can affect the system if they want to.”

As long as Ventura County has a thriving farm industry, it will have conflicts over noise, smells, dust and chemical use. Good planning practices that keep homes and schools as far away from crops as possible will minimize these problems. Another key is an agricultural commissioner’s office with the right people and attitudes to enforce the regulations and handle the complaints. We wish them well.